COLUMBUS, OHIO — The murder trial of an Ohio police officer continues Thursday in the 2023 shooting death of a pregnant Black mother, who he and another officer faced on a shoplifting charge.
Connor Grubb is charged with murder, manslaughter and felonious assault in the deaths of Takia Young, 21, and the unborn girl three months later. It was unclear whether Grubb would take the stand after the officer’s written statement was read into the record Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
Grubb and a fellow officer from the Blendon Township force approached Young’s vehicle on Aug. 24, 2023, on a report of her suspecting her of stealing alcohol from a grocery store in suburban Columbus. She had her window partially lowered and the other officer ordered her out. Instead, video footage showed that she pushed her car forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest.
A special prosecutor told the jury during his opening statements last week that Grubb lacked justification for shooting Young, arguing that she did not pose a threat to him or anyone at the time of the confrontation. The defense countered that Young’s acceleration of her car in the direction of Grubb was a reason for the 31-year-old officer’s actions.
In Grubb’s written statement, which a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation read to the jury, the officer said he observed Young arguing with a fellow officer and positioned himself in front of her car to provide support and protect other people in the parking lot.
He said he pulled his gun after hearing that Young had failed to comply with his partner’s orders. He said in the statement that when she headed towards him, he felt her car hit him and his legs and begin to lift his body off the ground.
Some of Young’s family members left the courtroom on Monday, the first day of testimony, as jurors were shown body camera footage of the shooting.
The video showed an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young that she was accused of stealing from a store and ordering her to get out of the car. Young protested and the two officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. Young can be heard asking them: “Are you going to shoot me?”
The footage showed that she turned the steering wheel to the right, the car slowly moved forward and Grubb fired his gun. Moments later, after the car stopped in front of the building, they smashed the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was fatally injured. Young and her unborn daughter were pronounced dead at the hospital.
A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed on administrative pay after the shooting
Mark Collins, one of the officer’s attorneys, told reporters after Young was charged that the video showed the shooting was justified, saying the officer was facing a threat of serious bodily injury or death due to being hit by the car.
Grubb escalated the confrontation by unnecessarily pulling his gun when he first confronted Young, said Sean Walton, the family’s attorney.