Jury Acquits Officer in Fatal Shooting of TaKiya Young

A Franklin County jury acquitted Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb on Friday of all charges in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old TaKiya Young, a pregnant Black woman accused of shoplifting in a suburban Columbus supermarket parking lot last year. The verdict came after a two-week trial that revisited the August 24, 2023, incident, in which Grubb fired a single shot through the windshield of Young's vehicle, killing her and her unborn daughter.

Grubb, a full-time officer since 2019, had pleaded not guilty to murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault. He faced up to life in prison if convicted. Earlier in the trial, Judge David Young dismissed four counts related to the death of Young's six-month-old fetus, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove Grubb knew she was pregnant at the time of the shooting. Jurors deliberated for several hours before delivering not-guilty verdicts on the remaining six counts.

The confrontation unfolded outside a Kroger store in Blendon Township, about 16 miles northeast of Columbus. Store employees reported that Young had stolen alcohol. Officers Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan approached her parked Lexus sedan, which lacked a...