The family of Ta'Kiya Young, a 21-year-old woman who was shot and killed by Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb in August 2023, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit names both Grubb and Kroger, in addition to an unnamed store employee, as defendants in the fatal shooting that took place outside a Kroger on South Sunbury Road. According to a report by ABC6, Young was allegedly involved in a shoplifting incident when she was confronted by the authorities.
Body camera footage from the encounter shows Young attempting to flee in a vehicle before being struck by gunfire from Officer Grubb. The consequences were dire, leaving Young and her unborn child dead. The incident, as detailed by The Columbus Dispatch, has led to a trial set for November 3, where Grubb faces murder and manslaughter charges. A Kroger spokesperson has declined to comment on the pending litigation, maintaining the company's policy on such matters.
This lawsuit emerges not only as a quest for justice in the name of Young, but as a somber reflection of a family's attempt to cope with an irreplaceable loss. Young's grandmother, Nadine Young, has publicly expressed her heartache and, in a statement obtained by The Columbus Dispatch, spoke on the devastating impact the death has had on the family, especially Young's two young children.
"We have two beautiful boys, 8 and 5 years old, who ask questions no child should ask," Nadine Young told WBNS during an interview following the lawsuit filing. Ta'Kiya Young had aspirations of returning to school to pursue a career as a social worker, dreams were left unfulfilled due to the tragic incident. Sean Walton, the attorney representing the family, emphasized the necessity of the civil lawsuit as a means of achieving accountability and honoring the lost lives, even beyond the criminal process. The lawsuit specifically accuses Officer Grubb of willfully and negligently causing Young's death, and Kroger's staff of improperly escalating the confrontation that ended in fatal violence.
