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A use-of-force review board clears the officer who fatally shot Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A use-of-force review board cleared the Ohio police officer who shot and killed 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black mother who had been accused of shoplifting, according to a statement from the police department’s chief released this week.

The five-member review board, empaneled by Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford, found that Officer Connor Grubb did not violate department policy when he fatally shot Young on Aug. 24, 2023, during an encounter in a Kroger parking lot in a Columbus suburb.

“The deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were a profound tragedy for her family, our department, and the community,” Belford said in a written statement. “After receiving the complete investigation and evidence from BCI, the Use of Force Review Board conducted a thorough policy review and found no violation of department policy by Officer Grubb.”

Per the department’s policy, the board convened in December after a Franklin County jury acquitted Grubb on all counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young.

Four of the board’s members work at law enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and one is a township trustee from Brown Township, according to Ryan Stubenrauch, a spokesman for the Blendon Township police.

Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, said the review board’s results are “unsurprising” and the department’s policies are “a clear and present danger to everyone who encounters their officers.”

“He (Grubb) chose escalation over de-escalation. He chose to create danger and respond to the danger he created. Now his department has cleared him instead of sending a message that would protect lives in the future,” Walton said.

Bodycam recordings showed Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan had approached Young’s car outside a Kroger about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. On bodycam video, Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”

Then, she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest, the bodycam recording showed.

In the statement, Grubb said he positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide proper backup. He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with Moynihan’s commands. When her car moved toward him, he said, he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground as he shot.

Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, the officers are seen breaking the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.

A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.

Grandfather recovering from surgery after bison attack at Yellowstone sent him flying

By WTOP Staff
(CNN) — What started as a yearly trip for a grandfather and his grandson turned into a visit to a Montana hospital after a bison attack at Yellowstone National Park.Carl McDaniel, 65, was hospitalized with a broken femur after a bison charged and tossed him into the air Friday evening at the park’s Bridge Bay Campground, according to McDaniel and the National Park Service.He was visiting the park with his 13-year-old grandson when they decided to take a walk after dinner.Along the way, they encountered a large bison that appeared to be rolling around in the dust and was not bothering anyone, McDaniel told CNN.“We were about a hundred yards away,” McDaniel said. “He was not aggressive; he was not having problems and we took some pictures and decided to walk on.”McDaniel and his grandson snapped a quick photo and continued with their walk, video of the encounter shows. At the same time, a truck drove by, and the driver laid on his horn in what appeared to be an attempt to get the bison to move, McDaniel said. There is no audio on the video.The bison then appeared to become agitated and began running toward the pair.“There was little time to decide what to do. At that point, he was within 100 yards; he could be to us in seconds, so I told my grandson to run in one direction and I went the other to try and draw him away,” McDaniel said.The animal then pushed McDaniel with the top of its head, sending him flying into the air before he hit the ground, the grandfather said.“When I was on the ground immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me. He could have stomped on me, he could have gored me, he could have done almost anything to take my life, and he did not do so,” McDaniel said.After McDaniel hit the ground, photographer Mike MacLeod, who captured the encounter on video, had to step in, he told Cowboy State Daily.“I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground, so I stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelled loud, and was trying to be as big and intimidating as possible,” MacLeod said.After the bison took off, people rushed over to McDaniel, who was in a lot of pain, MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily. Yellowstone EMS arrived soon after, he said.“Park emergency medical personnel responded and transported him to a nearby hospital,” the National Park Service said in confirming the incident in a statement to CNN.This is the second bison attack at Yellowstone this year. A 12-year-old was injured near Mud Volcano on June 26, according to the agency.After Friday’s attack, “all the people that were there were amazing; they were all positive, they were trying to help as best they could,” McDaniel said. A nurse started tending to his leg, while another bystander held his head.He was then transferred to a hospital in Bozeman, a two-hour journey during which he was in intense pain. He said he was grateful for the paramedic who helped him along the way.McDaniel broke his femur, the body’s strongest bone, in four places near his hip and suffered several bruises. He had surgery Sunday and could stand by Monday.“I will be doing physical therapy for the next few days to get to walk, but it was not as catastrophic as it could have been,” McDaniel said.The National Park Service advises visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from bison at all times and to never approach the animals. “If the bison follows you, spray bear spray as you are moving away, and seek cover behind nearby trees or cars,” the agency said.Correction: An earlier version of this story understated how far visitors should stay away from bison. The National Park Service advises visitors to stay at least 25 yards from them.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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