A pregnant Black mother, Ta'Kiya Young, was shot and killed by a police officer in Ohio after she was accused of shoplifting. Officer Connor Grubb, who had approached Young's parked car, fired a single bullet into her chest, killing her and also taking the life of her unborn daughter.
Grubb could have faced up to life in prison for the shooting death, but he has been acquitted of all charges, including murder. The verdict was delivered after multiple days of deliberation, leaving Young's grandmother, who is raising her two sons, in tears, shouting "It's not right! This is not right!"
According to bodycam video, Grubb had his left hand on the car's hood while pointing his gun at Young with his right. When she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward him, he fired the fatal shot. Moments later, after the car came to a stop, they broke the driver's side window.
The trial saw expert testimony and the submission of Grubb's statement by a special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. However, it was revealed that prosecutors failed to present proof that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her. As a result, four counts relating to the death of Young's unborn daughter were dropped.
The Young family's attorney, Sean Walton, described the outcome as "an American tragedy," highlighting a dual system of justice in the US. The family has vowed to continue its fight in civil court against the township and police chief over department practices.
Grubb's lawyer, Mark Collins, expressed that Grubb cried after the verdict was read and criticized protests at the courthouse during the trial. He argued that Grubb should not have been subject to felony murder charges, saying it would be "a difficult situation" for him to carry for the rest of his life.
The acquittal has raised concerns about police training and supervision, with a federal lawsuit filed against the police chief alleging that Grubb was not properly trained or supervised.
Grubb could have faced up to life in prison for the shooting death, but he has been acquitted of all charges, including murder. The verdict was delivered after multiple days of deliberation, leaving Young's grandmother, who is raising her two sons, in tears, shouting "It's not right! This is not right!"
According to bodycam video, Grubb had his left hand on the car's hood while pointing his gun at Young with his right. When she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward him, he fired the fatal shot. Moments later, after the car came to a stop, they broke the driver's side window.
The trial saw expert testimony and the submission of Grubb's statement by a special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. However, it was revealed that prosecutors failed to present proof that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her. As a result, four counts relating to the death of Young's unborn daughter were dropped.
The Young family's attorney, Sean Walton, described the outcome as "an American tragedy," highlighting a dual system of justice in the US. The family has vowed to continue its fight in civil court against the township and police chief over department practices.
Grubb's lawyer, Mark Collins, expressed that Grubb cried after the verdict was read and criticized protests at the courthouse during the trial. He argued that Grubb should not have been subject to felony murder charges, saying it would be "a difficult situation" for him to carry for the rest of his life.
The acquittal has raised concerns about police training and supervision, with a federal lawsuit filed against the police chief alleging that Grubb was not properly trained or supervised.
I'm literally shaking my head over this one... what even is going on in some parts of America? 
A pregnant woman is killed by a cop who's trying to make an arrest and he gets off scot-free? Like, how does that even happen? The bodycam video shows the whole thing down to the car rolling forward with him still pointing his gun at her... it's like, what was he waiting for? 
And the fact that they dropped those charges against the unborn daughter is just heartbreaking 
. It's not right, period. This is one of those cases where you're left wondering how justice can be so messed up in our country. I'm not surprised that there are going to be some serious pushback from the family and possibly even a federal investigation into police training and supervision... this is a total travesty 
Oh man, this is just heartbreaking. I mean, can you even imagine being in Ta'Kiya's shoes? 
It's just not right, and I'm so sorry the Young family is going through this. 
this is so messed up 
how can they just say he didn't know she was pregnant? 
. And that his lawyer is saying he shouldn't have been charged with felony murder because of "procedural issues" 
is just so... so wrong. I feel bad for the Young family and their kids 
. It's like, we're supposed to be a country that protects its citizens but sometimes it feels like the system is more interested in protecting the people in blue 
. What do you guys think? Shouldn't there be some consequences for this? 
this is so messed up my heart goes out to Ta'Kiya's family 
she was just trying to get back to her car after putting on her turn signal and then this cop shoots her and her baby... it's like, what even is self defense in this situation? 
the fact that he didn't know if she was pregnant or not doesn't excuse his actions at all 
it's like they're saying "oh, we've got proof you shot someone, but don't worry about knowing they were pregnant, that's on you". 
anyway, this whole thing just shows us how messed up our justice system can be 
.
