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Bodycam Video Of Cops Shooting Black Pregnant Woman Causes Outrage

A 21-year-old black pregnant woman was shot dead by Ohio police officers for not abiding by a few instructions. The video of bodycam footage was released.

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Pavi Vyas
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Credits: Twitter/ @KeneAkers

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Another Black American lost her life in what seemed like a brutal police assault. Ta'Kiya Young was shot dead in her car last month and the recently released bodycam footage of the scenario has caused a stir across the country. 
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Mother of two boys and pregnant with a baby girl, 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young was shot dead by police officers while she was sitting in her car in Ohio. 

Ta'Kiya Young Shot Dead By Cops

Ta'kiya Young was shot and killed by the police in Blendon Township, Ohio on August 24, 2023. The incident happened at around 6:20 pm. when Young was walking home from a store. According to witnesses, Young was unarmed and posed no threat to the officers. However, the police claimed they opened fire after Young refused to obey their orders to get out of her car. 

As per the reports, Young was the mother of two boys and was pregnant with a girl. Her delivery was due in November died.

The cops reportedly fired on her through the car's windshield. The officers were questioning the woman about the theft in the store while Young refused to step out of the car after she was accused of shoplifting. 

In a minute-long bodycam footage that was released by the Blendon Township Police Department (BTPD), Young can be seen sitting inside her black sedan on her way home after shopping while police officers can be seen repeatedly asking her to get out of the car. Young rolled down half a window and questioned why should she step out and said "I am not going to do that" 

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The cops can be seen telling Young that the owner of the store said there had been some theft in the store and he suspects her to have shoplifted to which she replied "I didn't do s***, the other girls were taking stuff" 

The situation escalated when one of the officers tried to get to Young through her half-rolled widow that he started slamming and another officer through his bodycam could be seen thumping on the bonnet of the car with a gun pointed at the driver's seat as he shouted "Get out of the f****** car!" 

Young could be heard saying "Are you going to shoot me?" as she accelerated the car, the police officer fired his gun. The car in the footage can be seen moving while another officer could be heard "Get out of the goddamn car" until the car slammed into a brick wall. 

Officers then can be seen breaking the driver's window to get access to the Young who can be seen falling at the center of the car. 

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According to BTPD the officers, within 10 seconds of the shot, got access to Young and started treating her chest in 70 seconds after calling paramedics, while within 90 seconds a doctor on the premises helped cops to save Young's life, however, she died in the spot. They also claimed officers were not aware she was pregnant as Young hid her stomach with a huge tote bag. 

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The police department refused to release the officers' names citing Marsy's Law and calling the officers involved the victim of the assault too. They claimed the officer who fired the gun was a victim of the vehicular assault as Young accelerated the car hitting him, while another officer who did not fire the gun had his hand stuck in Young's car after she disobeyed police orders. 

The two officers are placed on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the matter. 

Young's family in the statement said that after viewing the footage, Young's death was a "hateful act" and was not just "avoidable" but also a "gross misuse of the authority and power."  

While other protestors say the incident of shoplifting should not have led to Young's death sentence. 

Young's death has sparked outrage in the community, with many people calling for an investigation into the incident. This is just the latest in a string of police shootings of unarmed Black people in America. In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases, including the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the United States. These cases have highlighted the problem of police brutality and systemic racism.


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Suggested Reading: Honduras Prison Riot: 41 Women Shot, Stabbed, Burned To Death

Black Lives Matter police brutality
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