A pregnant Ohio mother's death by police sparked outrage. What we know about Ta'Kiya Young
The death last week of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young, a pregnant mother who was shot by police in a Kroger parking lot near Columbus, Ohio, ignited outrage and sadness across the country.
Young had been suspected of shoplifting alcohol last Thursday before being confronted by police in Blendon Township, located near the Westerville suburb northeast of Columbus. The confrontation quickly turned fatal when police said Young refused to obey verbal commands to exit the vehicle and instead drove directly at an officer, who fired his gun into the windshield, killing her and her unborn child.
More than a week later, the Blendown Township Police Department released the body camera footage Friday morning that shows what transpired in the Kroger parking lot.
Here's what we know about Young and the circumstances of her death.
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What does the body cam footage show?
The footage released Friday is from both of the body cameras of the two officers who approached Young prior to the shooting, which happened around 6:20 p.m. Aug. 24 in the parking lot of the Kroger.
Blendon Township previously said Young and several other people shoplifted items from the store, including liquor, after which a store employee flagged down officers who were in the parking lot on an unrelated call, according to The Columbus Dispatch, a USA TODAY Network publication.
Young can be seen already in the four-door sedan when one officer approaches the driver's side and the other approaches the front of the vehicle. One officer tells her to step out of the vehicle, prompting Young to partially roll down her window and ask, "for what?"
Eventually, the video shows Young driving forward and hitting the officer in front of her car, whose feet are seen off the ground when he fires a single shot through the windshield. Young's vehicle continues moving forward until it hit the building.
A passerby, who is an emergency room doctor, also assisted police until paramedics arrived and transported Young Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Why did it take so long to release the footage?
In a statement a day after the shooting, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said that processing the body camera footage would take time because of the redactions that are required to be made by Ohio law.
Blendon Township is a small department without the staffing of agencies like the Columbus Division of Police that have a dedicated unit of multiple people who process records requests.
In an updated statement on Monday, Belford explained that the process to release the bodycam video involves identifying which redactions must be made, getting approval of the redactions and confirming they comply with the law from legal counsel. The police agency planned to give the video to the state agency investigating the shooting to ensure it won't interfere with its investigation.
Belford also indicated that his department intended to show the footage to Young's family before it was widely released to the public.
"Due to the fact that there were two body cameras that were constantly in motion and there were numerous reflective surfaces showing the faces of the two officers, redaction was extremely complex," Belford said in a statement Friday. "This, combined with the legal review, took a great deal of time for our small department."
What are the names of the officers?
Blendon Township has not named either officer, citing Marsy's Law, which aims to protect crime victims but has been cited by police agencies as the reason they can't release the names of officers involved in such situations.
The department declined to tell The Dispatch how many years either officer has worked there, saying that doing so would effectively identify them, due to the size of the department.
The officers were both initially placed on paid administrative leave, but Belford said Friday that the officer who did not fire his weapon has returned and is back on patrol duty.
Young's family has condemned the decision of the department to shield the officers' identifies, saying the use of Marsy's Law to not release the names is an overreach and abuse of the law.
Who is Ta'Kiya Young?
Young was a 21-year-old mother of two sons, 6 and 3 years old. At the time of her death, Young was pregnant with a daughter who her family said was due in November.
Young's death sparked several peaceful vigils in her memory, as well as in honor of her unborn daughter.
Local activists and protest groups met at the Kroger on Friday night and again on Sunday evening to call for justice and accountability in the shooting. Meanwhile, more than two dozen family and friends gathered Friday night at Young's grandmother's home, where they lit candles in memory of Young and her unborn child.
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What are people saying about her death?
Nadine Young, Ta'Kiya Young's grandmother to The Dispatch: "We're all going to be rallying around (her sons), and be the village for them ... Taking care of them, getting them into school, and keeping them focused and not having them hate the police. I don't want them growing up like that."
Malissa Thomas-St. Clair, Young's former teacher, to The Dispatch: "Young people make mistakes, but because I make mistakes, I should learn from them and not die from them ... When I'm hearing that shoplifting now equates with losing your life — and you're pregnant? That deserves outrage."
Columbus Attorney Sean Walton, at a media conference: "I encourage Blendon Township to allow us to know the officers involved in the shooting; otherwise we have to assume that all 15 of those officers may be potentially a murderer ... That's not fair to anybody, it's not fair for this family to be bullied by a system that should be protecting them."
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford in the video: "Every loss of life is a tragedy ... The family of the woman who died is understandably upset. I’ve personally spoken with a member of the family, and I will continue to keep them informed about what’s happening."
Brian Steel, executive vice president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, in a statement: "Guns are not the only danger officers face ... but regardless of the circumstances, the death in this case is heartbreaking. The lodge extends its condolences to the family for its loss of this young woman."
What happens next?
Blendon Township police requested the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation conduct an outside investigation of the shooting.
The procedure is standard among the larger Columbus Division of Police and many other law enforcement agencies in the surrounding Franklin County when one of their officers kills or injures someone in a shooting.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What we know about Ta'Kiya Young, Ohio mom police killed near Columbus
