A police officer in Ohio was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges on Tuesday for the 2023 fatal shooting of Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman who had been suspected of shoplifting, authorities said. Young, who was 21, had been suspected of stealing bottles of alcohol from a store last August when Connor Grubb, a Blendon township police officer, and another officer approached her car, the Associated Press reported at the time. Body-cam footage showed the officers ordering Young out of her car and confronting her about the accusations of shoplifting; she refused and denied stealing anything. Instead, she began to move the car in the direction of Grubb, who was standing in front of the vehicle. Grubb then fired a single shot through her windshield into her chest, killing her. The fetus she was carrying also died. Authorities said last year that the officers then broke her car window, pulled Young out and tried to save her life but were unsuccessful. In September, Grubb was placed on paid administrative leave while the Ohio bureau of criminal investigation examined the shooting, the AP reported. On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Grubb on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. “While it is concerning that an officer sworn to uphold the law has been indicted for homicide charges, no one is above the law,” the office of prosecuting attorney Mat Heck Jr said in a press release. It also noted that a warrant had been issued. Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, said on Tuesday that the officer never should have pulled his gun when he confronted her. Grubb “took a lot from us” she said, according to the Associated Press. “Its not fair. We don’t have her or the baby.” Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, praised the indictment on Tuesday, and said that “in no scenario does someone shoplifting contribute to their murder by a police officer”. Walton added in a statement that “the actions that led to the death of Ta’Kiya – the unnecessary aggression, the chilling commands that amounted to ‘comply or die’ – were there for us all to witness in dreadful clarity”. “Ta’Kiya’s life and that of her daughter were extinguished in an act of brutality, becoming yet another symbol of the urgent need for reform in police conduct and accountability,” he said. In a video posted on Facebook, John Belford, the Blendon township police chief, responded to Grubb’s indictment, saying it was “merely the first step in the legal process and Officer Grubb is presumed innocent like anyone charged with a crime”. Belford said that his office was “starting the disciplinary process immediately” and that after reviewing the facts, trustees would “decide on the necessary disciplinary actions”. “I want to be very clear: we’re not passing any judgment on whether Officer Grubb acted properly. We haven’t seen the evidence,” he added. “However, since people who’ve been indicted may not legally possess a firearm, the indictment against him leaves us with no choice but to immediately begin the disciplinary process.” Brian Steel, the executive vice-president of the union representing Blendon township police, said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” with the news of the indictment. “Like all law enforcement officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision,” he wrote. After the body-cam footage was released last year, Young’s family called for Grubb to be charged. Young, who has been described by her family as family-oriented and loving, also had two sons, who are being cared for by her family. Grubb’s arraignment has been scheduled for Wednesday at 1pm.