An Ohio police department released body camera footage on Friday showing an officer fatally shooting a pregnant Black woman in a grocery store parking lot two weeks ago after she refused to exit her car and instead hit him with her vehicle, news agency Reuters reported. The video of the August 24 incident in Blendon Township came after the family of the 21-year-old woman, Ta'Kiya Young, demanded that the officer who fired the fatal shot be held accountable.
According to the report, "a theft suspect drove her car into one of my officers, and the officer fired a single shot through the windscreen," Blendon Police Chief John Belford said in a statement accompanying the release.
Young, according to Sean Walton, a lawyer for her family, was a victim. "We demand accountability for two precious lives - Ta'Kiya and her unborn daughter," he said during a press conference on Thursday. On Friday, Walton was unavailable for comment, the report said.
Young's death is one of several recent high-profile cases in the United States involving police officers accused of using excessive force in the deaths of Black people and other minorities, prompting calls for criminal justice reform in the United States.
According to the report, the incident occurred in the parking lot of a grocery store in Blendon, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometres) northeast of Columbus, the state capital.
Young was confronted by police after an employee reported that she was one of several people who had shoplifted spirits from the store, it said.
The video shows an officer standing next to Young's vehicle, repeatedly ordering her to exit. A second officer approaches the vehicle from behind and points a gun at the windscreen, demanding that she exit. Before the vehicle begins to move towards the officer, Young can be seen turning the wheels to the right, away from him. It pushes him back as he places his left hand on the hood and his right hand on his gun.
As he fires one shot towards the windscreen, the vehicle strikes him in the leg. The interaction lasted 25 seconds.
This video contains graphic scenes of police shooting, viewer discretion advised.
According to the report, Young died later at a nearby hospital. Her unborn child did not survive.
Belford previously stated on Facebook that police were called to the store to assist a shopper who had become locked out of their vehicle.
Both officers, who have not been publicly identified by the department, have been placed on administrative leave. The investigation is being carried out by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.