Footage reveals Ohio woman fatally shot by police attempted to hit officer with her car

Body camera footage was released on Friday showing an August 24 incident where an officer in Blendon Township, Ohio, shot and killed a pregnant 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young who was approached in her car outside a Kroger after store employees accused her of stealing alcohol. 

In the video, the two officers approach the vehicle and repeatedly tell Young to get out of the car. She can be seen asking the cop, "For what?" and he tells her that they said she stole stuff, which she denies. 

One of the officers drew his weapon and placed his hand on the hood of the vehicle. She asks the cop "you going to shoot me," as she begins moving the car forward, just before the officer shoots her through the windshield. 

In a previous statement, Blenden Township Police Chief John Belford said officers immediately began rendering aid to Young along with an emergency room physician who was passing by. He said that she later died at St. Ann's Hospital, which was the closest to the incident. 

In a news release of the video, Belford said the incident "was a tragedy." He added, " Ms. Young’s family is understandably very upset and grieving."

"While none of us can fully understand the depths of their pain, all of us can remember them in our prayers and give them the time and space to deal with this heartbreaking turn of events," Belford concluded. 

In a statement, Young's family said, "Ta’Kiya’s death was not only avoidable but also a gross misuse of power and authority." They added, "As if the pain of losing Ta’Kiya isn’t enough, we must grapple with the knowledge that her unborn daughter was also robbed of her life in this hateful act.”

According to NBC 4, the Blendon Township police department cited Marsy's Law, which protects victims of crime from disclosure, when it declined to identify the officers involved. The officer who shot Young is considered a victim of attempted vehicular assault, and the other was a victim of misdemeanor assault because his arm was in the driver's window as she pulled away. 

Young's family is calling for the officer who shot her to be indicted stating that "Officers of the law take an oath to protect human life, and in instances where they unjustly rob families of their loved ones, they must be held accountable.”

The Post Millennial senior editor Andy Ngo reported that the city is "bracing for a potential #BLM riot" and barricades were installed around the state house today. 

The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Executive Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police Brian Steel noted, "Ms. Young was not shot for stealing alcohol." He continued, "She was shot because following an aggravated robbery, she tried to run down a fellow human being. … Ms. Young chose to accelerate her vehicle directly into the path of an officer.”