US police kill pregnant African-American girl: the child also dies

• gossip

A 21-year-old pregnant African-American woman from Columbus, Ohio, was shot and killed by officers on August 24 outside a grocery store in Blendon Township, along with the baby she was carrying. The Ohio authorities have released the video taken by the agents' bodycam, which shows the last moments of TàKiya Young's life.

In the video we see a policeman approaching the car where the young woman was, asking her to get out. However, he accelerates her towards an agent, who first yells at her to stop and then shoots.

Bodycam footage shows the moment a police officer shoots at Ta’Kiya Young, 21, through the windshield of her car.

Ohio Police say she was suspected of shoplifting and was shot when she accelerated towards an officer, killing her and her unborn daughter 👉 https://t.co/W2YEMkZjhZ pic.twitter.com/kEP9CffCW8 — Sky News (@SkyNews) September 1, 2023

Ohio police release video of fatal shooting of pregnant Black woman https://t.co/wCm4HvZC5Y pic.twitter.com/MjXSGBJ7Zy — Reuters (@Reuters) September 1, 2023

Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford called the shooting a tragedy while a police union spokesman said calls to charge the officer before the investigation was completed were premature.

The family's lawyer, Sean Wlton, told: "She was pregnant and mother of two other children, unarmed, this is beyond the unjustifiable. The video has only confirmed their fears that Ta'Kiya had been wrongfully murdered is It was heartbreaking for them to see his life taken away under such ridiculous circumstances."

US police kill pregnant African-American girl: the child also dies

The woman was killed by a single bullet.

It seems that the 21-year-old had stolen bottles of alcohol from the shop, a circumstance denied by the lawyer, when the agents repeatedly asked her to get out of the car she put the car into gear and accelerated. After the shooting, the officers broke the window, pulled the woman out to try to save her but there was nothing they could do.

A second policeman, who was in front of the car, pointed his gun and fired a shot that hit the front window of the car. The car continued to move forward for about fifteen meters until it stopped running on the sidewalk. The scene lasted twenty-five seconds.

An internal investigation has been launched to ascertain whether excessive and unmotivated force was used. According to Ohio police regulations, officers are only allowed to shoot when they feel it is the only way to stop a person and if they really feel at risk.

The images show that the woman wanted to leave, but the shooter did not appear to be in serious danger, even though she was in front of the car, which had just moved from the parking lot.