Newly released police body camera footage shows the moment a pregnant woman was shot and killed by police in Ohio.
The Blendon Township Police Department posted footage on its Facebook page that shows when 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young was fatally shot by an officer.
In the video from Aug. 24, Young is in her car outside a Kroger grocery store. An officer approaches the driver side of Young’s car and orders her to get out. Young asks why and the officer says she was accused of stealing from the store.
“I didn’t steal (expletive),” Young can be heard saying back.
As this exchange is happening, another officer is seen walking in front of the car yelling, “get out of the (expletive) car.”
In the footage, Young can be heard asking, “You gonna shoot me?”
As the officer is standing in front of Young’s car with his gun drawn, Young can be seen turning her steering wheel to the right. The car begins slowly moving forward. That’s when the officer fires a shot through the windshield, fatally hitting Young.
“Having viewed the footage in its entirety, it is undeniable that Ta’Kiya’s death was not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority,” a statement released Sept. 1 by the Young family’s attorney Sean Walton says.
Young was pregnant when she died, and her unborn child did not survive.
“As if the pain of losing to Ta’Kiya isn’t enough, we must grapple with the knowledge that her unborn daughter was also robbed of her life in this hateful act,” the statement said.
Blendon Police Chief John Belford released a statement along with the video detailing steps the department has taken since the fatal shooting, including asking the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate the incident.
“I placed the officer who fired the shot on administrative leave. Out of an abundance of caution, I also placed the other officer on administrative leave,” it says.
The statement goes on to say that the second officer has since been allowed back to work.
After the shot was fired at Young, the video shows her car continuing moving forward until hitting a building. Officers can be heard radioing “shots fired” and yelling “get out of the (expletive) car” several more times.
Officers can be seen trying to open Young’s door, but it was locked so they break the driver side window.
“I’m aware that a few people on the internet have made false and misleading statements about the medical response to treat Ms. Young. But here are the facts… Ten seconds after officers got Ms. Young out of the car, Officer 1 called for EMS,” the statement by Belford says.
Young was taken to the hospital where she later died, according to WCMH.
“This incident is yet another painful reminder of the urgent need for a thorough re-examination of police training, policies, and procedures. The responsibility of law enforcement is to Serve and Protect all in our communities, not just those they deem worthy of protection and safety,” the family’s attorney said.
Young is survived by two sons, the family attorney said.
“After seeing the video footage of her death, this is clearly a criminal act and the family demands a swift indictment for this officer for the killings of both Ta’kiya and her unborn daughter. We stand united with those in our community and beyond in pursuit of Justice,” the statement from the family attorney said.
The Blendon Police Department is not releasing the names of the two officers involved in the incident, explaining the officers have not expressly waived their rights as a victim of crime. Belford says the officer who fired the shot is a victim of attempted vehicular assault.
Belford said he expects a lawsuit to be filed as a result of the fatal shooting.
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