A jury on Friday found Blendon Township (Ohio) Police Officer Connor Grub not guilty of any crimes in the 2023 shooting death of Ta’Kiya King. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
A Franklin County, Ohio, jury on Friday found Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb not guilty in the 2023 shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young outside of a Kroger store.
The jury agreed with the defendant’s claim that he used reasonable force to protect himself when Young struck him with her vehicle as he tried to investigate a reported theft, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for eight hours, starting on Thursday and ending at 10:30 a.m. EST when they announced reaching a unanimous verdict and found Grubb not guilty of murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault.
The trial lasted for nearly three weeks and included testimony from 17 witnesses, 14 of whom testified on behalf of the prosecutors and three on Grubb’s behalf.
The pregnant Young, 21, was outside the store when a Kroger employee sought help regarding an alleged theft of liquor at the Sunbury Road Kroger store on Aug. 24, 2023.
Grubb was participating in a traffic stop with Sgt. Erik Moynihan, when the Kroger employee approached them, accused Young of stealing liquor and identified her and the car she was driving.
Moynihan testified that Young was behind the wheel of the vehicle, which had no license plate, when he told her to shut off the engine while he approached her on the driver’s side.
Moynihan told her to exit the vehicle and speak with him and Grubb, but she refused.
The officers’ body cam footage shows Grubb moved in front of the vehicle when Young drove forward and struck his lower body, which lifted officer off of his feet.
Grubb then fired a single shot, which killed Young and resulted in the death of her unborn child. She was six months pregnant at the time.
During closing arguments, Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office attorney Erin Claypool argued that Grubb knew his actions could cause great bodily harm to Young, ABC News reported.
Claypool also accused Grubb of ignoring police department guidelines requiring officers to take reasonable action to get out of the way of an approaching vehicle instead of shooting at it.
Defense attorney Mark Collins said Grubb acted in an “objectively reasonable” manner when he used his firearm to stop Young from using the deadly force of her vehicle against him.
Collins also said prosecutors used two paid expert witnesses to bolster what he called a weak case against Grubb.
Among the evidence presented by prosecutors were a “video showing life-saving measures,” a “photo of an unborn fetus” and “two professional second-guessers,” Collins argued.
Claypool also argued that Moynihan said he did not expect Grubb to fire his sidearm during the incident and was surprised when he heard the gunshot that killed Young.
His surprise indicated that Moynihan did not consider Young to be a threat, according to Claypool.
The entire incident lasted about 10 seconds and ended when the bullet that Grubb fired traveled through the vehicle’s windshield and struck her in the chest.
The officers tried to provide life-saving assistance, but Young and her unborn daughter were declared dead at a local hospital.
Blendon Township is located about 15 miles northeast of downtown Columbus.
