Video of Ohio Officer Fatally Shooting Pregnant Black Woman Released
Body camera footage of the police shooting of a 21-year-old Black woman has been released to the public.
Ta’Kiya Young was shot by police in Blendon Township, Ohio after she was accused of shoplifting bottles of liquor from a Kroger store.
According to The Washington Post, police were already in the parking lot of the store assisting a woman who had been locked out of her car when they were approached by an employee who accused Young of shoplifting.
The video shows one officer approach Young’s driver’s side window, which Young partially rolled down, and repeatedly tell her to exit the car. A second officer steps in front of the vehicle. Young denies any wrongdoing and argues with officers before cutting the wheel of her car.
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In the video, the officer standing in front of the vehicle draws his weapon, places a hand on the vehicle’s hood and also orders Young to get out of the car as the vehicle moves forward. The officer shoots once into the windshield, striking the woman.
Young was assisted by a nearby emergency medical technician and later transported to the hospital where she and her unborn child died. Her family told The Columbus Dispatch she was due to give birth to a daughter in November.
In a statement, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said both officers were placed on administrative leave after the shooting, but only the officer who fired the shot remains on leave.
“A lawsuit is very likely to be filed about this incident. There may be other legal proceedings as well. That’s why we’re very limited in what we can say,” Belford said. “We’re being as transparent and forthcoming as we can, given these significant legal constraints.”
In refusing to release the name of the officer, Belford noted that Ohio law protects a victim's name from the media and claimed that both Young and the officer who killed her are victims. Young's name was released via an attorney.
Social media users are reacting with outrage to the shooting.
Walton + Brown, LLP, the law firm representing Young’s family, said in a statement that her death was “not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority.”
“Her tragic passing has left a void that words can’t describe, especially for her two young sons, who must now grow up without the love and guidance of their mother, and while coming to understand the circumstances that led to her homicide."