Ta’Kiya Young’s family is wondering why the Blendon Township police officer who shot their 21-year-old daughter has yet to be identified publicly. According to the Washington Post, the officer shot and killed Young in the parking lot of a grocery store on August 24 and has not been dismissed or legally punished.
Police officer shot and killed a girl in parking lot. (Source: NewsOne)
Police Officer Who Shot and Killed the 21-year-old Young Must Have Equal Rights
According to Sean Walton Jr., an attorney for Young’s family, if video footage showed a citizen committing what appeared to be murder, there would be no need for a protracted inquiry; the police officer who shot and killed 21-year-old Girl would be identified, and charged. Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford, on the other hand, stated that the police engaged in Young’s shooting were uninvolved victims. Belford referenced Marsy’s Law, a crime victims’ rights amendment. According to Marsy’s Law for Ohio, the victims of violent crime enjoy the same co-equal rights as the accused and convicted – nothing more, nothing less.
Because the 15-person police department is understaffed, the officer who did not shoot Young was permitted to return to active duty. The family and Walton, however, were able to piece together the name of the individual who shot and killed their daughter. They think, based on the evidence available to them, including eyewitnesses and badge number information, that the officer allegedly responsible is Connor Grubb.
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Public Servants Committing Crimes Must Have Equal Treatment as Others Do
According to Fred Gittes, a Columbus attorney who specializes in police misconduct, privacy, and public records lawsuits, “Police officers are public servants, licensed to kill, and we need to know who they are.” Gittes further stated that the police are bending the original intent of the law and that as public employees, they should not be able to hide behind a provision designed to protect true victims of crime from revenge. Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, called the police’s behavior “dishonest” and told the Post before Ta’Kiya’s funeral, “An apology would not be genuine at this point; it has been weeks since Kiya’s murder.” “I demand that [Grubb] be held accountable.”
Young also told the Washington Post that her granddaughter’s murder occurred while she was pursuing personal goals: Young said that all she wanted was a place of her own, and she had been approved for her place in Sandusky days before her murder. “That’s been on my mind and heart that she accomplished that goal,” added Young.
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