Friday, February 20, Blendon Township used $150,000 in taxpayer money to send Connor Grubb out the door with a clean record. This is a man who drew his weapon on an unarmed pregnant woman over a shoplifting allegation, positioned himself in front of her vehicle to manufacture a threat, and fired through her windshield. Ta'Kiya Young and her unborn daughter died because of his decisions. He is responsible for this tragedy. Blendon Township is responsible for enabling it.
They cleared him internally. They reinstated him unanimously. They paid him to leave in good standing. Three times this township had the chance to say that killing Ta'Kiya Young was wrong. Three times they said it was fine. No apology. No policy change. No step taken to ensure this never happens again. That is not closure. That is a pattern.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) says Grubb's name was "smeared in the media," but they know the truth. His name was in the media because he shot an unarmed pregnant woman unjustifiably. The only smear here is on Blendon Township's record and on the FOP for defending him, and they put it there themselves.
We are glad Grubb will no longer police Blendon Township. But "good standing" is a lie. His hiring, his training, his supervision, and every decision this township made is exactly what our civil litigation seeks to prove. We encourage any department considering hiring Connor Grubb to review the body camera footage and ask whether they are willing to put their citizens at risk. Blendon Township's policies made this killing possible and their response makes the next one inevitable.
