The estate of the woman shot and killed by a Blendon Township police officer outside a Kroger store two years ago has sued the township and Police Chief John Belford over the police department's practices.
The federal suit filed Tuesday by the estate of Ta'Kiya Young claims the Blendon Township Police Department has a reputation of "aggressive and racially-tinged police practices."
The suit claims those practices result in unjustified excessive use of force in violation of the Constitution.
Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb shot and killed Young, 21, and her unborn child in her car in August of 2023.
Officers confronted Young after she was accused of shoplifting.
The lawsuit claims Grubb had multiple problems before Young's death.
The claims includes harassing and mishandling what the suit calls an unjustified stop of a minor in June 2023, and physically intimidating and improperly arresting a female suspect.
The suit also claims Grubb failed to appear in court for cases, resulting in dismissed prosecutions, and committed policy violations after he shot Young.
"The violations of Ta鈥橩iya Young and her unborn child鈥檚 constitutional rights as described in this Complaint occurred as part of, and were the direct and proximate results of, the official policy or custom of the Blendon Township and its Police Department," the suit said.
"The known community history of use of excessive force and discriminatory policing and related constitutional violations by Grubb and Blendon Township were the force behind the violation of Ta鈥橩iya Young and her unborn child鈥檚 constitutional rights reflective of a pattern of deficiencies and deliberate indifference," the suit stated.
The suit asks for damages and an injunction to prevent the department from using its policies.
星空无限传媒 has reached out to Blendon Township offices in an effort to contact Chief Belford.
Grubb has been charged with murder, felonious assault and involuntary manslaughter. In July, a Franklin County judge denied Grubb's request for a change of venue in that case.
Grubb's trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 3.
In August, Young's family filed a wrongful death suit against Grubb in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
