COLUMBUS, OHIO — Closing arguments in the murder trial of the Ohio officer accused in A pregnant black mother was shot and killed He was killed in a supermarket parking lot after being accused of shoplifting, and is scheduled to die on Wednesday.
Prosecutors told jurors that the 21-year-old Takia Young She did not pose a threat to anyone at the time she was shot. Defense attorneys for the town of blendon police officer Connor Group They contended Young’s car had deadly force when it accelerated near the 31-year-old officer, bringing his use of force within the “objectively reasonable” standard.
Grubb is charged with murder, manslaughter and felonious assault in connection with Young’s death on Aug. 24, 2023. He faces up to life in prison. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young, who is no relation to Takia, dismissed four of 10 charges against him on Tuesday related to the death of Young’s unborn daughter, agreeing with his attorney that prosecutors failed to present evidence that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her.
The prosecution and defense rested on Tuesday after a nearly two-week trial. It was presented to the jury Body camera footage about the shooting on the first day of testimony, with testimony that followed over the course of the trial including a use-of-force expert, an incident reconstruction expert, the officer who responded to the scene with Grubb and a police policy expert.
They never heard from Grubb, whose side of the story was included in a written statement read into the record by a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Sean Walton, the attorney representing Young’s family, Nadine Young, Takia’s grandmother, and his aunt Michelle White, said they expect Grubb to take the stand.
“It’s strange that he didn’t testify,” Walton said. “But the video speaks for itself, and if he wants the video to speak for him, so be it.”
Young and White appeared emotionally drained while taking questions from reporters Tuesday. White said the ruling will allow the family “to finally be able to begin the healing process.” At different times, Nadine held back her tears while talking about the outcome of the trial.
“I just have to hold on to God and know that He is in control,” Nadine said.
In body camera footage, the officer said he observed Young arguing with a fellow officer and positioning himself in front of her car to provide backup and to 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.
Grubb and another officer approached Young’s car outside a Kroger in suburban Columbus on a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She lowered her window partially, 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.
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 paid administrative leave after the shooting.