Authorities have released the body cam footage of Ta’Kiya Young’s fatal arrest, a pregnant Black woman who was shot and killed by police outside a grocery store near Columbus, Ohio. Acording to The Columbus Dispatch, the footage is from both of the officers who were involved in the shooting.
On Aug. 24 at 6:20 p.m., Young was reportedly shot and killed by one of the police officers, after she was accused of stealing alcohol from a Kroger grocery store in Blendon Township, located near the Westerville suburb northeast of Columbus. The 21-year-old and her unborn child died at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital hours later.
During a press conference Aug. 30, Sean Walton, a lawyer representing Young’s family, urged for the Blendon Township Police Department to release the bodycam footage in order to reveal what led up to the young mother’s tragic death.
“We have to understand how unfair this process is to families and why it’s so important to push for the swift accountability despite any allegations of wrongdoing, “ the attorney said. “The police officer that shot her failed his ultimate responsibility to mitigate harm and to keep the vulnerable community safe.”
On Facebook, the Blendon Township Police Department promised to release the video Friday, Sept. 1. Authorities delayed showing the footage because of ongoing “legal review and video redactions.”
While the family hopes to gain clarity about Young’s death, some details of the case still remain unclear.
What happened to Ta’Kiya Young?
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford released a video statement about Young’s arrest Aug. 25. In the lengthy video, Belford said officers from his department were assisting a driver locked out of her car in the Kroger parking lot in Sunbury Road when an employee from the grocery store pointed out someone who had “stolen bottles of alcohol” fleeing from the store. The witness claimed that Young and several other suspects were fleeing into their cars with the stolen liquor.
According to Belford, the officers on duty pursued Young in particular because she was allegedly driving in “a Lexus sedan with no license plates and parked in a handicapped spot right in front of the store.” When the officers approached the pregnant mom’s car, she allegedly started the vehicle and attempted to drive off. One officer approached from the driver’s side and allegedly ordered the matriarch to stop and get out of the vehicle. The other officer came to the front of the car and also ordered Young to step out, but she did not comply, Belford said.
“Despite being ordered to get out of the car more than a dozen times, she refused to do so. The woman put the car in gear and accelerated forward. The officer who was directly in the path of the oncoming car fired one shot through the front windshield.” Belford said the body camera footage also confirmed that the officer was standing directly in the path of the pregnant mother’s car when she allegedly accelerated.
After the officer shot the matriarch, the car kept moving for about 50 feet until it came to a full stop on the sidewalk in front of Kroger. According to the police chief, officers immediately broke into Young’s car to begin medical assistance and called medical support to the scene. A passing emergency room doctor also assisted authorities to treat Young, but it was too late.
Now, Belford has asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to launch a full investigation into the incident. In the interim, both officers have been placed on administrative leave.
Walton says Ta’Kiya Young did not steal from the store.
During Wednesday’s emotional press conference, Walton refuted the accusation that Young was shoplifting at Kroger. After conducting an independent investigation, the attorney claimed that he had been in contact with a witness who alleged that they did not see the young mother steal from the grocery chain.
“We have discovered a witness who said that he was in the store at the time that Ta’Kiya was in the store, that before she actually left out of the store, the bottles were placed down. So, there’s evidence out there that no crime actually occurred,” Walton added. “At no point was Ta’Kiya being aggressive toward the officers or anyone else.”
RELATED CONTENT: Alleged Pregnant Shoplifter Hospitalized After Being Shot By Walgreens Employee In Nashville
