The murder trial for Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb began Wednesday with defense attorneys and special prosecutors giving their opening statements.
Grubb is charged with murder after he shot and killed 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young, a pregnant woman accused of shoplifting alcohol from a Sunbury Road Kroger store in August 2023. Attorneys on both sides agreed on a 12-person jury Wednesday and a team of alternates.
The jurors were taken to the Kroger store to view the scene of the alleged crime after opening arguments.
Grubb's attorney's frame Young's vehicle as a deadly weapon
Grubb's attorney, Kaitlyn Stephens, argued during her opening statement that Young's refusal to comply with police officers while in her car made her a threat to Grubb and his partner at the scene.
The two officers were at the Kroger helping a woman get into her locked car when a Kroger employee approached them, accusing Young of stealing liquor from the store.
Stephens said Grubb was justified in blocking Young's vehicle with his own body. In body camera video, Grubb is seen pulling his gun from its holster while standing in front of Young's car.
Young asked the officers "are you going to shoot me" during the interaction.
Grubb told Young to "get out of the f***ing car" while holding up his gun. The other officer also told Young to get out of the car repeatedly, but did not draw his gun or use strong language.
Within seconds of Grubb stepping in front of her car, Young used her turn signal and turned her steering wheel away from Grubb before pulling forward and pushing the police officer.
Grubb then fired his gun once through the windshield, striking Young. Both Young and her unborn child died from the shooting.
Stephens' opening statement showed how the defense will attempt to frame Young's use of the vehicle as a deadly weapon.
"Why then was Ms. Young an immediate threat to the officer or others when she possessed a 3,500 pound deadly weapon with her foot on the trigger, the accelerator," Stephens said.
Stephens alleged Grubb viewed Young's car, parked in a handicapped spot without a placard, made Grubb view the vehicle as a threat before the alleged shoplifting crime or any potential suspect was apparent. Stephens claimed Grubb was protecting a child who was nearby in the parking lot and his fellow officer, who was standing outside Young's window on the driver's side.
"She possessed a 3,500 pound deadly weapon and put her foot on the accelerator. That child returning that shopping cart all the way to the left of the screen, she will be the first one run down if this suspect peels out and tries to make. That child needs protecting too. So you stand in front of a stationary parked vehicle, contact and cover," Stephens said.
After Young was shot, her car did not run down the child nor Grubb's partner. Her vehicle slowly moved towards the Kroger store eventually hitting the building.
Young was removed from the vehicle and given medical attention by Grubb and eventually other emergency responders.
Stephens said Grubb had less than two seconds to make a decision when Young hit the accelerator and pushed Grubb off the ground.
"One shot is all it took to stop that vehicle from sucking your feet under and pancaking you onto the pavement. One shot was all it took to stop the car from running down anybody else," Stephens said.
Prosecution will argue that Young was not an immediate threat to Grubb
Special prosecutor Richard Glennon, assigned to the case from Montgomery County, said the jury will have to decide whether Grubb's use of force was justified. He called Grubb's actions unreasonable and unjustified.
Glennon argued that Young's actions before the shooting shouldn't justify her being killed.
"There's no question that (Young) stole liquor bottles from inside of the store that day. The evidence is going to show that the state is not going to dispute that," Glennon said. "But the state is here before you, because absolutely no one should have been killed for taking the actions that (Young) took that day."
Glennon said Grubb could have moved out from in front of Young's vehicle as she slowly pulled away from the two officers. He said Grubb was easily able to step back and to the side of the vehicle.
"The evidence shows that she was not running over the officer with her vehicle, and that the shot fired by the defendant was utterly unnecessary to defend himself," Glennon said.
Glennon said his team will bring in experts to analyze police officers' use of force and to analyze the body camera video itself. He said these experts will help prove their case.
Glennon also defended their prosecution of a police officer.
"The state has profound respect for law enforcement. It is one of the most essential roles in any functioning society, and the state works closely with law enforcement every single day. But no one is above the law either," Glennon said.
Testimony in the trial is expected to start on Nov. 10.
