He said an investigation will determine whether the shooting was justified. She did not commit any theft, and so these officers were not even within their right to place her under arrest, let alone take her life.”īrian Steel, executive vice president of the union representing Blendon Township police, criticized Walton’s characterization of the shooting as murder before all the facts are in. “So when she’s in her car denying that, that’s accurate. “The bottles were left in the store,” he said. He said his firm found a witness who saw Young put down bottles of alcohol as she left the store. In his interview with the AP on Friday, Walton denied that Young had stolen anything from the grocery store. Officers then break the driver’s side window, which Belford said was to get Young out of the car and render medical aid, though footage of medical assistance was not provided. The officer fires his gun through the windshield and Young’s sedan drifts into the grocery store’s brick wall. At that point, Young can be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?” seconds before she turns the steering wheel to the right and the car moves toward the officer standing in front of it. Then both officers yell at her to get out. Young protests, and the first officer repeats his demand. A second officer is standing in front of the car. The video shows an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young she has been accused of theft and repeatedly demanding that she get out of the car. “More than anything, there was … a sense of just devastation, to know that this power system, these police officers, could stop her and so quickly take her life for no justifiable reason.” While viewing the video, the family felt “a lot of anger, a lot of frustration,” Walton told the AP. “It is undeniable that Ta’Kiya’s death was not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority,” the statement said. Their names, races and ranks have not been released.īlendon Township Police Chief John Belford called the shooting a tragedy. A second officer who was on the scene has returned to active duty. A police union official said calls to charge the officer before an investigation is complete are premature. The officer who shot Young is on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation examines the shooting, which is standard practice.
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Young’s death follows a troubling series of fatal shootings of Black adults and children by Ohio police and numerous occurrences of police brutality against Black people across the nation in recent years, events that have prompted widespread protests and demands for police reform. “The video did nothing but confirm their fears that Ta’Kiya was murdered unjustifiably … and it was just heartbreaking for them to see Ta’Kiya having her life taken away under such ridiculous circumstances.” “Ta’Kiya’s family is heartbroken,” Walton said in an interview with The Associated Press. Walton also criticized police for not releasing the video footage for more than a week after the shooting. 24 shooting of the 21-year-old woman was unjustified and he called for the officer to be fired and charged immediately. Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, said the video clearly shows that the Aug.
By Samantha Hendrickson | Associated Press/Report for AmericaĬOLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio authorities on Friday released bodycam video showing a police officer fatally shooting Ta’Kiya Young in her car in what her family denounced as a “gross misuse of power and authority” against the pregnant Black mother.
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