WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — One month after filing a civil lawsuit through the Franklin County court system, the estate of a pregnant woman who was fatally shot by a Blendon Township police officer has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the township itself and its police chief.
According to documents within United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, the estate of Ta’Kiya Young is suing Blendon Township and Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford. The suit alleges that the department displayed a consistent and systemic failure to properly train and supervise its officers on the proper use of force, as well as a failure to properly discipline officers engaged in excessive force and other misconduct.
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Young, 21, was shot and killed by Officer Connor Grubb on Aug. 24, 2023, in a Kroger parking lot on South Sunbury Road after Young, who was pregnant, was suspected of shoplifting. After Grubb and another officer approached her vehicle, Grubb stood in front of the car and shot Young as the car moved forward.
Grubb has been charged with killing Young and her unborn child and was indicted in August 2024. He is currently out on bond and is scheduled to begin his trial in November. He was placed on paid administrative leave last September.
The lawsuit argues that the township and Belford deprived Young and her unborn child of their civil rights, that a department culture’s alleged excessive force is tolerated, and that it has a history of complaints against officer Grubb…