Ta'Kiya Young's death sparks renewed calls for improved police training in small departments

Calls for improved training for Ohio's smaller police departments have been renewed after the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young on Aug. 24 by a Blendon Township police officer.

The body camera video of the shooting of Young, who was pregnant and due in November, was released Friday and sparked outrage by some, including her family's attorney.

State Rep. Munira Abdullahi, a Democrat who represents the Kroger where the shooting took place, said she thinks police training is an ongoing issue across Ohio and beyond.

"It needs to be standardized throughout all of them," Abdullahi said of police departments. "There is no excuse that they are a smaller township."

Prior bills have failed

Despite the support of Abdullahi, and even recent calls by Gov. Mike DeWine for more training, efforts to do just that have failed repeatedly in years past.

DeWine recently proposed creating a scenario-based police training facility as part of the state's capital budget, with money set aside for departments to use the facility at little or no cost. His proposal followed the July release of video of a Circleville police K-9 dog attacking a truck driver who led law enforcement on a chase but was surrendering at the time the dog attacked him.

"This incident in Circleville should be a lesson, a wake-up call to everyone that police training in the state of Ohio is not equal," DeWine said at the time.

DeWine could not be reached for comment on Friday night about the Blendon Township police shooting video but emphasized in July that he needed the support of the Republican-controlled General Assembly to make the training facility a reality.

"I can't do anything in this area without the cooperation and work of the state legislature," DeWine said. "We will be working with the (Ohio House) Speaker and the Senate President in regard to this."

Is there bipartisan support for more police training?

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau in July that he supports the governor's idea and another training possibility pitched by Sen. Frank Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction.

House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, said through spokesman Aaron Mulvey that he "always stands with law enforcement and prioritizes investing in public safety."

There was about $40 million for police training and a commission to study long-term methods for how to fund training in the state budget passed this June. But, this isn't the first time this has come up. In fact, it's been a longtime debate within the statehouse.

This also isn't the first time the governor has pushed for police reform.

After 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot and killed by Columbus police in April 2021, DeWine touted that a significant police reform package was coming soon. But the legislation never happened.

Democrats, too, have tried but ultimately failed to introduce police reforms since the murder of George Floyd Jr. by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020 resulted in national outrage and protests for racial and social justice.

"No matter where you reside, you have a right to have your police officers dealing with you to have the best training possible," DeWine said in July. "We have a ways to go in Ohio."

Additional police training shouldn't be controversial, Abdullahi said, though she knows Republican support will be needed to get any funding legislation past the first hearing. She said she's begun talking to her fellow state legislators.

"It's definitely a high priority on my list, and after these two incidents, it’s a much higher priority on my list," Abdullahi said the Circleville and Blendon Township incidents.

What happened to Ta'Kiya Young?

The shooting happened around 6:20 p.m. Aug. 24 in the parking lot of the Kroger store at 5991 S. Sunbury Road, just north of Route 161, near Westerville. Officers approached Young while she was in her vehicle after a store employee told them that she had shoplifted from the store.

One male officer knocked on her window and told her repeatedly to get out of the car. Another male officer went to the front of the vehicle and at some point draws his gun.

Young asks why she should get out of the car and then says she will not. Then, as the car moved forward toward the officer in front, he fires a shot through the windshield. The officers continue to tell her to stop the car as it continues forward and jumps a curb before hitting the Kroger store building at a low speed. When it comes to a halt, the officers broke the driver's side window to get her out and administer aid.

"I watched the video today. It’s horrible," Abdullahi said. "There is no excuse for that, and it shows us how urgent the need is for reform in our criminal justice system and accountability of our law enforcement."

Abdullahi said that, like the family and many in the community, she is angry over the death of Young, a mother, and her baby.

"There was no need for lethal action. The officers lives were not in danger," Abdullahi said. "It is absolutely unacceptable. There is a strong need for accountability and that is what we will be pursing with the family."

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the Kroger where the shooting occurred was outside Rep. Abdullahi's district.

Anna Staver is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

astaver@dispatch.com

@AnnaStaver

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ta'Kiya Young's death spurs renewed calls for more police training