Police in Ohio have released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a pregnant Black woman in a grocery store parking lot two weeks ago after she refused to get out of her car and instead hit him with her car, reports RTE.
Footage from the Aug. 24 incident in Blendon Township has the family of 21-year-old Ta’Kia Young demanding accountability for the shooting that killed an officer.
“A theft suspect drove her car into one of my officers and the officer fired a single shot through the windshield,” Blendon Police Chief John Belford said in a statement accompanying the release, reports RTE.
But Shaun Walton, a lawyer for Ms Young’s family, said she was a victim.
“We demand accountability for two precious lives -Ta’Kiya and her unborn daughter,” he said at a news briefing on Thursday. Mr Walton was unavailable for comment yesterday, reports RTE.
Ms Young’s death is one of a string of recent high-profile cases in the US involving police officers accused of using excessive force in the deaths of black people and other minorities, prompting calls for reform of the US criminal justice system.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of a grocery store in Blendon, 24 kilometres northeast of the state capital of Columbus.
Police contacted Ms Young after an employee said she was one of several people who had stolen alcohol from the store.
The footage released yesterday shows an officer standing next to Ms Young’s car and repeatedly ordering her to get out.
A second officer approached the front of the vehicle and pointed his gun at the windshield, demanding he leave.
Ms Young is seen turning the wheel to the right of the officer before the car starts driving towards him.
The car hit him in the leg as he fired one shot toward the windshield. The encounter lasted 25 seconds.
Ms. Young later died at a nearby hospital. Her unborn daughter did not survive.
Belford previously said on Facebook that police officers were called to the store to help a customer who was prevented from entering their car, reports RTE.
Both officers, who were not terminated by the department, were placed on administrative leave.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
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