An Ohio police department released bodycam footage on Friday showing an officer fatally shooting a pregnant Black woman in the parking lot of a grocery store two weeks ago.
Body camera footage shows an officer fatally shooting a pregnant Black woman in the parking-Image Source: REUTERS
The video, which was released by the Blendon Township Police Department, shows the officer standing next to the woman’s vehicle as he repeatedly orders her to get out. A second officer comes around the front of the vehicle and points a gun at the windshield, demanding that she exits.
The woman, identified as 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, can be seen turning the wheels to the right, away from the officer, before the vehicle begins moving toward him. It pushes him back as he puts his left hand on the hood, with his gun drawn in his right hand.
The vehicle strikes him in the leg as he fires one shot toward the windshield. The encounter lasted 25 seconds.
Young later died at a nearby hospital. Her unborn baby daughter did not survive.
The officer who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation.
The release of the bodycam footage has sparked outrage among Young’s family and community members, who are calling for the officer to be held accountable.
“We demand justice for Ta’Kiya and her unborn daughter,” said Sean Walton, a lawyer for Young’s family. “This was a senseless and avoidable tragedy.”
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile cases in the United States of police officers using excessive force in the deaths of Black people and other minorities.
In recent months, there have been protests and calls for reform across the country following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people at the hands of police.
The Blendon Township Police Department has not released the names of the officers involved in the shooting.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is expected to release a report on its findings in the coming weeks.
