STATEMENT ON BLENDON TOWNSHIP’S CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT OF OFFICER CONNOR GRUBB

[Columbus, OH] – June 18, 2025 - Tonight, Blendon Township failed its residents once again. Instead of doing the right thing and terminating Officer Connor Grubb - the man who unjustly and callously took the life of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn daughter - they released a weak, tone-deaf justification for continuing his employment, citing budget constraints.

Let us be clear: Connor Grubb has been charged with multiple counts of murder. For his acts as a Blendon Township Police Officer. A pregnant 21-year-old mother was killed in broad daylight, and the entire world has seen the video. Ta’Kiya posed no threat. She deserved to live. Her sons deserve their mother. Her unborn daughter deserved a chance at life.

The township’s decision to move Grubb from paid to unpaid leave is a public relations move disguised as fiscal responsibility. The fact that the Board of Trustees had the audacity to frame this as a budget issue - rather than the violent, fatal misconduct that it truly is - is both insulting and disgraceful.

The recent failure of the Blendon police levy wasn’t just a budgetary setback. It was a referendum. The community is demanding change. They're tired of unchecked officers, tired of the lack of transparency, and tired of a department that allows violence against its residents without consequence. The voters spoke, and instead of listening, the Township doubled down on protecting an officer who should have never worn a badge to begin with.

And while Blendon officials hide behind the claim that they are awaiting “critical evidence,” they’re ignoring the most damning evidence of all: the footage. The double murder that was committed by a Blendon Township officer under their watch. It speaks louder than their press releases. It speaks louder than their inaction. And it demands justice they’ve refused to deliver.

Since Ta’Kiya’s death, our office has received multiple disturbing accounts from former residents and community members who were harassed, profiled, or threatened by Officer Grubb. Blendon Township allowed this officer to remain on duty long after they should have intervened. They’ve known who he was. And when he killed a young Black mother and her unborn daughter, they paid and protected him.

What Blendon Township owes the community is not another memorandum of understanding with a police union and the “bad apple” they seek to protect. What they owe is an apology. An apology for enabling Grubb, for wasting taxpayer money, and for betraying the public trust. But more than an apology, they owe this family and this community justice.

We won’t stop until they deliver it.

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