COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Blendon Township police on Friday released new footage of the Aug. 24 deadly shooting of Ta'Kiya Young.
The video included more body-worn footage and surveillance video from inside and outside the Kroger store on Sunbury Road.
The interior surveillance video shows Young, 21, filling bags with bottles of liquor from the state liquor agency within the Kroger grocery store. Outdoor video from the store shows when she walked out of the store, walked to her car, and interacted with police. It also shows the moment her car collides with the store.
"We cannot focus on this petty theft inside the store and, you know, use that to justify this unjustifiable killing that occurred outside in the parking lot," said Sean Walton, Young's family's attorney. "Unfortunately, Ta'Kiya cannot have her day in court to answer to the charges of petty theft."
In the interior video, two other females were seen in the footage. Police said those two individuals left in a separate vehicle.
“We received many public records requests for the body-camera videos as well as the surveillance footage from inside the store,” Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said in a news release Friday. “Given the complexity of the redactions, it took our small department a lot of time to consult with our legal team and then make the legally-required, frame-by-frame redactions on more than 50,000 frames of video. While this footage shows a tragic situation, we have a responsibility to be transparent and provide the records the law requires us to release.”
Blendon police continue to cite Marsy's Law as the reason behind not releasing the identities of the officers involved in the shooting. The police chief said the officers are victims because Young "assaulted" them with her car.
"He made the decision to shoot to kill in that scenario, and it's just frustrating, but this family deserves justice," Walton said.
“This was a tragic situation for everyone,” Belford continued. “We recognize that these videos will create more discussion and even anger by people who have passionate feelings for or against the officer’s actions."
According to Walton, police did not show Young's family the newly released footage before the media, a step protestors have been calling for.
"Truly, they were blindsided by this, and I think that has to be said that there was no there was no compassion, you know, presented to them in terms of this footage being released," said Walton. "There was no heads-up given. There was no opportunity to brace themselves for what was to come."
Previously-released bodycam video showed police telling Young multiple times to get out of her car, but she refused, asking if they were going to shoot her. That video showed her trying to drive away from the scene when an officer fired through the windshield.
Young and her unborn baby later died. She left behind two young sons.
Young's funeral services were held Thursday. Her family and friends filled the Church of Christ in north Columbus to pay their respects to the young mom and her unborn daughter.
"At the funeral, Ta’Kiya’s daughter was in her embrace on her chest as she lay there, and it just brings to life the fact that there were two lives taken here, not just one," said Walton.
"As soon as she walked into the room, you knew she was there," Young's uncle, Trayshawn White, said.
"She was the life of the party," Young's aunt, Michelle White, said. "She was also the light of the party. Look how many people are here. Look how many people she touched in life and, unfortunately, now in the afterlife."
The BCI continues to investigate the incident. Young's family and their attorney called for the termination and indictment of the officer who fired the single shot that killed Young and her unborn daughter.
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