Blendon Township, Ohio, law enforcement recently released body camera footage from an incident in late August, where a police officer fatally shot a woman who allegedly drove her car into him. The woman, identified as 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young from Columbus, was reportedly seven months pregnant at the time of her death, according to her family.
The incident occurred in a Kroger’s parking lot, where Blendon Township police officers were assisting a driver who had been locked out of her car. During this time, a store employee informed one of the officers about a suspected theft involving bottles of alcohol. The alleged thief was said to be attempting to flee the scene.
The body camera footage, which multiple news outlets have reviewed, shows Young in her parked car in front of the store. Despite repeated orders from the police, she refused to exit the vehicle. One officer was positioned on the driver’s side, while another stood directly in front of the car.
The video reveals the officer on the driver’s side informing Young of the theft accusations, which she denied. The officer repeatedly instructed her to leave the car, but Young verbally declined each time. The footage shows the officer banging on the driver’s side window, while Young asked the officer in front of her car if he intended to shoot her.
From the perspective of the officer in front of the car, the video shows him aiming his gun at Young and demanding that she exit the vehicle, using strong language. Young then pressed the gas, driving the car into the officer, who responded by firing a single shot through the windshield. The car continued to roll forward after the shot was fired.
The officers can be heard announcing “shots fired” as they pursued the vehicle for several feet before it came to a halt. The footage does not show any further interaction between Young and the officers following the shooting.