Two police officers ask her to get out of the car. That day, they intervened for a different reason: someone was locked in a car, on the same property, outside a convenience store in Blendon Township, Ohio. A store employee tells them that some people have stolen products and points to the black Lexus carrying 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young. The woman is said to have stolen bottles of alcohol. Two sons, boys – at home, ages 3 and 6 – and a little girl on the way, in the womb.
He starts the car, the wheels turning to the right, as if Young wanted to escape this checkpoint. Then the car starts driving in the other direction, towards the police officer in front of him. The other colleague is standing next to the window; he has already drawn his weapon when he hears the engine start. He sees the car coming towards him and it hits his leg. Shoot. A shot. Deadly. A few hours later, both Young and her daughter died at a nearby hospital. She was supposed to be born in November.
It happened on August 24, the video of another case in which a black citizen was killed by the police was only released on Friday. Lawyers for the victim’s family disputed the delay, citing authorities’ need to process the footage and obscure some parts of it in accordance with state law. The images come from the bodycam, the small video camera that is usually attached to the officer’s chest. The shocking sequence is from the shooter’s perspective.
After the shot – which can be heard in the video but not shown – the car continues to drive about fifteen meters. The officers pursue them on foot until the Lexus hits the sidewalk and then crashes into the brick wall of the supermarket. The door won’t open, so one of the two police officers breaks the window. A doctor who happens to be present arrives, but the help is useless.
The names of the agents have not been released at this time. They are both on administrative leave while the Ohio Attorney General’s Office investigates the incident: that’s the norm in cases like this. According to Blendon Police Chief John Belford, the video also serves as evidence that whoever opened fire was actually in the path of the car.
“We are seeking justice for two precious lives,” said Sean Walton, the Youngs’ attorney. “For Ta’Kiya and her unborn daughter. She was unarmed, all of this is more than unjustified.” An online fundraiser to finance the woman’s funeral raised around seven thousand dollars. The day after the tragedy, the family had organized a private vigil in Columbus, the capital and the victim’s city, with balloons and candles and spelling out the words “Rip Ta’Kiya.” Her grandmother, Nadine Young, described her granddaughter’s devotion to her family. “She had given birth to her two little ones but was so happy to be expecting a girl.” It should never have happened.