Warning: Graphic content
Ohio cops released bodycam footage Friday showing an officer fatally shooting a pregnant mom of two when the suspected shoplifter refused to leave her car and accelerated toward him.
The video shows that just before Ta’Kiya Young, 21, of Columbus was shot in her black sedan outside a Kroger in Blendon Township on Aug. 24, officers repeatedly barked for her to “get out of the car!”
When Young asked why she was being told to exit her vehicle, which was in a handicap spot, she was told, “They said you stole stuff, do not leave.”
The mom of two sons, ages 3 and 6, replied, “I didn’t do s–t, the other girls was taking [stuff].”
One of the cops, who is standing at her driver’s side window, says, “Get out!” before he slams his fist against the window.
A second officer, who is standing at the hood of her car with his hand leaning on the hood, shouts, “Get out of the f–king car!”
As Young then accelerates toward him, he shoots a single shot through her windshield.
Screaming can be heard, and the car moves through the parking lot slowly, swerving around a support column on the building before crashing into the grocery store’s brick front.
Ta’Kiya Young, 21, of Columbus was shot in another car outside of a Kroger on Aug. 24 after she was accused of theft. Ta'Nyla Young
Bodycam footage shows the last few moments of mother-of-two’s life when officers barked for her to “get out of the car!” before she pressed the gas and ended up shot. Blendon Township PoliceThe cops chase after her, screaming: “Stop the goddamn car!” as they point a gun toward her driver’s side window.
The second officer attempts to open her locked door but is unable to, using his elbow to smash the partially opened window to gain access to Young, who is slumped over the center counsel.
The officers then rendered medical aid to Young, which was not showed in the video, Blendon Township Chief John Belford told AP.
Young was later pronounced dead, and her unborn child did not survive. Her child was expected to be born in November.
Young refused to get out of the car and slowly became to accelerate out of the parking space, causing the the officers to scream at her to stop. Blendon Township Police
The officer, who’s name was not released, fired a single shot. Young continued to drive the car slowly out of the spot before hitting the front of the grocery store. Blendon Township Police
The mother o-of-two, who was expected to have her third in November, did not survive. Her unborn child also did not survive. Blendon Township Police“She was so excited to have this little girl,” Nadine Young, her grandmother, said at a news conference Wednesday. “She has her two little boys, but she was so fired up to have this girl. She is going to be so missed.”
Young’s family viewed the footage before its release, saying in a statement through their lawyer Sean Walton, “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.”
The family is now seeking a criminal indictment of the officers.
Her family is asking for a criminal indictment of the officers, saying Young’s death was “avoidable.” APWalton said the family grew frustrated with delays in the police department releasing the footage publicly.
Belford said the delay resulted from a small staff trying to process the video and properly redact certain footage, such as officers’ faces and badge numbers, in accordance with Ohio law.
The officers are on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations looks into the matter.
With Post wires.
