Blendon Township released body camera footage on Friday morning, revealing the events leading up to and immediately following the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young. The incident occurred on August 24th at around 6:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the Kroger at 5991 S. Sunbury Road.
Young, who was pregnant at the time, was shot once and later died from her injuries at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s. Unfortunately, her unborn child did not survive.
According to Blendon Township, Young and several others had shoplifted items from the store, including liquor. A store employee alerted the officers, who were in the parking lot for an unrelated call. In the body camera footage, the store employee can be heard informing an officer that Young had shoplifted. The officer approaches Young’s vehicle and instructs her to stop and get out of the car. Young questions why she should do so, and the situation escalates.
The video shows Young’s vehicle moving forward, hitting the second officer, who then fires a single shot through the windshield. Young’s vehicle continues to move forward until it hits the building. Officers immediately run after the vehicle and break the driver’s side window to remove Young from the car.
Blendon Township Chief John Belford stated that within seconds of getting Young out of the vehicle, officers called for paramedics and began treating her. The Franklin County Coroner’s office did not disclose the exact location of Young’s injury but confirmed that a chest seal was applied, indicating she was shot in the chest.
Blendon Township has not released the names of the officers involved, citing Marsy’s Law, which protects crime victims.
How did the body camera footage contribute to the understanding of the events leading up to the fatal shooting
Blendon Township Releases Body Camera Footage Detailing Fatal Shooting
Blendon Township recently made public the body camera footage related to the tragic incident involving the shooting and subsequent death of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young. The incident took place on August 24th in the parking lot of the Kroger store located at 5991 S. Sunbury Road.
Young, who was pregnant at the time, was fatally shot once and later succumbed to her injuries at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s. Tragically, her unborn child did not survive.
According to Blendon Township officials, Young and a group of individuals had shoplifted items, including liquor, from the store. A store employee quickly alerted the officers, who happened to be in the parking lot responding to an unrelated call. The body camera footage includes audio of the store employee informing one of the officers that Young had shoplifted. The officer then approaches Young’s vehicle and instructs her to stop and exit the car. Young questions the officer’s instructions, and the situation escalates from there.
The video reveals Young’s vehicle moving forward, striking the second officer who, in response, fires a single shot through the windshield. Even as the vehicle continues to move forward and crashes into the building, officers promptly run after it and shatter the driver’s side window to remove Young from the car.
Blendon Township Chief John Belford emphasized that within seconds of safely extracting Young from the vehicle, officers immediately called for paramedics and began administering treatment. While the exact location of Young’s injury has not been disclosed by the Franklin County Coroner’s office, it has been confirmed that a chest seal was applied, pointing to a gunshot wound to the chest.
In adherence to the provisions of Marsy’s Law, which safeguards crime victims, Blendon Township has decided not to release the names of the officers involved in the incident.
