Crime
Police officer charged with murder in shooting death of pregnant black woman accused of shoplifting
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police officer was charged Tuesday with murder and other charges in connection with the shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year-old black mother who was killed after being accused of shoplifting last August.
Young was suspected of stealing bottles of alcohol when Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb and a colleague approached her automotive. The other officer ordered her to get out. Instead, she rolled forward toward Grubb, who fired a single shot through the windshield into her chest. The daughter she was expecting three months later also died.
A Franklin County grand jury indicted Grubb on charges of murder, manslaughter and aggravated assault in the deaths of Young and her child. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. An arrest warrant was issued as part of the indictment.
Brian Steel, president of the union representing Blendon Township police, called the indictment deeply disappointing. “Like all law enforcement officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision, a reality all too familiar to those who protect our communities,” he said in a press release.
Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, said the officer shouldn’t have drawn his gun when he first confronted her.
“He took a lot from us,” she said Tuesday. “It’s not fair. We don’t have her or the baby.”
The past yr has been difficult for the family, including her granddaughter’s two young sons, she said. “It’s been agony, it’s been like a hurricane of pain and suffering,” she said.
Family members called for charges against the officer shortly after the Aug. 24 shooting. After watching body camera footage of the officer shooting, the family called his actions a “gross abuse of power and authority,” especially considering Young was charged with a comparatively minor crime.
The footage shows an officer at the motive force’s window telling Young she’s been charged with shoplifting and telling her to get out of the automotive. Young protests, each officers curse at her and yell at her to get out, and Young might be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
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Seconds later, she turns the wheel to the fitting, the automotive slowly rolls forward, and Grubb fires his gun. Moments later, because the automotive stops at a constructing, they smash the motive force’s side window. Police said they tried to save lots of her life, but she was fatally wounded.
Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, said the law is evident about when an officer can use deadly force.
“In no scenario does a shoplifter contribute to his murder by a police officer,” he said. “He bears no responsibility.”
Some departments in the United States prohibit officers from shooting at or from moving vehicles, and law enforcement organizations comparable to the Police Executive Research Forum argue that shooting in such circumstances creates unacceptable risks to bystanders, comparable to resulting from accidental discharge or the motive force losing control of the vehicle.
The Blendon Township police use-of-force policy says officers should try to move away from an oncoming vehicle somewhat than fire their weapon. An officer should only fire if she or he “reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means to prevent the imminent threat posed by the vehicle, or if deadly force other than a vehicle is directed against the officer or others.”
Young’s encounter with police was one of a series of disturbing incidents involving black adults and youngsters in Ohio following officer-involved shootings, and there have been quite a few incidents of police brutality against black people across the country over the past few years.
The state Bureau of Investigation wrapped up its investigation into the shooting last December before a special prosecutor was appointed to oversee the case. The prosecutor then presented the evidence to a grand jury over two days. Juries don’t consider guilt but as an alternative take a look at whether there’s enough evidence to go to trial.
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said the department has begun a disciplinary review now that Grubb has been charged. Grubb, a full-time borough officer since 2019, has been on paid administrative leave because the shooting. His personnel file showed he had no disciplinary history on the job, his first as a police officer.
“No one in Blendon Township has made any judgment as to whether Officer Grubb acted lawfully,” the police chief said in a press release. “However, because the individuals charged may not be lawfully in possession of firearms, the indictment against him leaves us with no choice but to pursue disciplinary action.”
Crime
Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO
New York authorities have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as an individual of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
According to police, a McDonald’s worker recognized Mangione in a photograph taken by NYPD Crime Stoppers and called authorities to report that he was eating at the restaurant, which led to his arrest.
Police say Mangione was carrying an anti-corporate manifesto, false identification and a ghost gun.
“It fits the description we were looking for,” Mayor Eric Adams said. An early NYPD report drew criticism online for calling the suspect a “light-skinned male” fairly than simply saying he was white.
The New York Post reports that Mangione previously attended the University of Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of the highschool in 2016 and had ties to Towson, Maryland. His social media posts indicate motivation related to dissatisfaction with the health care industry.
The shooting gained national attention because of the lukewarm response to Thompson’s death from many voters, who criticized the high insurance denial rate and greed that contributed to the American loss of life.
NYPD officers will now travel to Pennsylvania to query Mangione. Watch the entire press conference below:
Crime
OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false
Iroc Avelli, OJ Simpson’s former bodyguard, claimed to have a recording of the late NFL player admitting to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to .evaluation of the audio recording showed the claim to be false.
In June 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contacted the Bloomington, Minnesota police department to realize access to thumb drives confiscated during Avelli’s 2022 arrest.
Bloomington Police Department arrested Avelli for alleged assault in 2022; upon arrest, the police seized Avelli’s backpack and obtained an order to gather relevant evidence on the scene. The backpack contained multiple flash drives that the previous security guard said contained Simpson’s confessions.
According to Peasant! News“search warrant filed in Hennepin County requested by Officer George Harms seek for image pendrives in order that “a full forensic examination could possibly be carried out on all of the pendrives to acquire the recording.”
The Bloomington Police Department didn’t return the drives, opting as an alternative to conduct an internal forensic examination. After a digital forensics specialist examined the drives, Bloomington police didn’t disclose any information of “probative value” to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The further investigation into the Simpson and Goldman murders is strange because on October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of all charges. The former San Francisco 49er maintained his innocence until his death from cancer on April 11, 2024.
After his acquittal, OJ Simpson continued to benefit from his fame. In 1996, the Buffalo Bills player published a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer. Many found the book’s title and content distasteful and criticized it Naked weapon the actor’s constant presence in celebrity culture.
However, many individuals imagine that Simpson’s acquittal ought to be enough to just accept his presence in all spaces. BLACK ENTERPRISES reports on rapper Cam’Ron’s response to criticism after Simpson was invited on his sports show before his death.
The It is what it’s the host and businessman believes that the accusations – proven in court – shouldn’t result in ostracization. Cam’Ron believes that Simpson’s race may have played a job in continuously questioning his innocence throughout his life.
“Look, if he was guilty, we wouldn’t have him on the show,” he said. “You wish to proceed convicting an innocent man. He is innocent. If it was another person, whiter, you’d all say, “Oh, he’s innocent.” TO BE reported.
It appears that the hearings and investigation into Orenthol James Simpson’s role, or lack thereof, in his ex-wife’s murder will proceed even after his death.
Crime
Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day
Tatisha Refuge, a 47-year-old New Orleans resident, turned herself in to authorities after the death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. Refuge is charged with “manslaughter by negligence.”
Rudy’s mother, Leshawn Ratliff, lives in Texas but visited Refuge, her foster mother, in the previous few days of Thanksgiving. Nov 8 News.
“I came here on Saturday to pick up my older son. He was here over Thanksgiving break, and I came down on Saturday to pick him up so we could go home on Sunday and they could go back to school on Monday.” Ratliff he said.
While playing UNO, Refuge’s unsecured gun fell from her belt and fired, striking Rudy. Ratliff she recounted how the scene unfolded when she discovered Rudy had been shot.
“I began seeing blood coming out of his chest. That’s once I knew he had been shot. So I called 911.
The mother didn’t wish to wait for 911. Instead, she decided to take Rudy to University Medical Center for treatment. She said that after they arrived at the ability, Rudy seemed to be alive. Unfortunately, 20 minutes later she was informed of his death.
Tatisha Refuge has been charged with negligent homicide within the shooting death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. #Khou11 @AmandaHTV
https://t.co/BFIeGhAHYG— KHOU 11 Houston News (@KHOU) December 4, 2024
Ratliff she nurtured her relationship with Refuge and is torn now that the accusations involve her foster mother.
“It was a random shooting. His grandfather’s gun fell. It wasn’t within the secure. It wasn’t within the gun position. I believe it went into the pocket and fell out and shot my son,” Ratliff said. “I understand it was a mistake. I imagine in my heart that it was a mistake. I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand.
The grieving mother began a GoFundMe and is asking the general public for help with Rudy’s burial. To support the Ratliff family of their time of need, click here.
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