Ohio cop fatally shoots pregnant Black woman in new body cam vid

Blendon Township, Ohio - Newly released police body camera footage shows the moment a pregnant Black woman was shot and killed by police in Ohio.

An Ohio police department has released body cam footage of one of its officers fatally shooting a pregnant Black woman while she was in her car.
An Ohio police department has released body cam footage of one of its officers fatally shooting a pregnant Black woman while she was in her car.  © Collage: Screenshots / Facebook / The Blendon Township Police Department

The Blendon Township Police Department posted footage on its Facebook page on Friday that shows 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young being fatally shot by one of their officers.

In the video taken on August 24, Young is in her car outside a Kroger grocery store during the day. 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 s**t," Young can be heard saying back.

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Another officer is seen walking in front of the car, yelling, "Get out of the f**king car!"

Young can be heard asking, "You gonna shoot me?"

The officer in front of Young's car then draws his gun, and Young is seen turning her steering wheel to the right. The car begins slowly moving forward, and the officer fires a shot through the windshield.

The officers continue yelling for her to exit as the car continues moving forward until hitting a building. They attempt to open the passenger door which was locked, so they proceed to break the driver side window.

Young, who was taken to the hospital where she later died, was also pregnant, and her unborn child did not survive.

Ohio police department and Ta'Kiya Young attorney respond

Body cam footage from the Blendon Township Police Department has blurred the responding officers' faces.
Body cam footage from the Blendon Township Police Department has blurred the responding officers' faces.  © Screenshot / Facebook / The Blendon Township Police Department

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.

Both officers were placed on administrative leave pending the investigation, but the officer that did not fire the shot has since been allowed back to work.

The department is not releasing the names of the two officers involved in the incident. The officers have not expressly waived their own rights as a victim of crime, as Belford says the officer who fired the shot is a victim of attempted vehicular assault.

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Sean Walton, the attorney for Young's family, described the incident as "clearly a criminal act," arguing her death "was not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority." The family demands a "swift indictment" for the death of both Young and her unborn daughter.

"The responsibility of law enforcement is to Serve and Protect all in our communities," Walton added, "not just those they deem worthy of protection and safety."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots / Facebook / The Blendon Township Police Department

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