A police officer accused of shooting a pregnant woman in Ohio has been charged with her murder.

Ta’Kiya Young, 21, was 25 weeks pregnant at the time of her death last August. Her unborn daughter also died in the police shooting.

On Tuesday, a grand jury in the city of Columbus found there was enough evidence to charge Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb with murder, manslaughter and assault.

A bodycam video of the fatal encounter released last year showed police attempting to stop Ms Young from driving away to question her about the alleged shoplifting.

The video shows her driving toward the police officer, who fires the fatal shot while ordering her to get out of the car.

According to investigators, Ms. Young was suspected of stealing alcohol from a Kroger grocery store.

Mr Grubb’s lawyers said he fired in self-defense.

“From the perspective of a reasonable police officer, the evidence will show that our client’s actions were justified because there is video evidence showing Officer Grubb was struck by a moving vehicle,” said his attorneys Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens.

The local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) union criticized the charges on Tuesday as “politically motivated.”

“We are committed to an impartial justice system that focuses on truth and facts, not politics,” said Chapter President Brian Steel.

“Like all police officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision, a reality all too familiar to those who protect our communities,” he said, adding that decisions are often made under “extreme pressure and often in life-threatening situations.”

Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said in a video message that disciplinary proceedings will be initiated immediately to examine the facts and then determine the best course of action against the officer.

“I want to be clear: We are not making any judgment as to whether Officer Grubb acted correctly. We have not seen the evidence,” Chief Belford said.

Sean Walton, the lawyer for Ms Young’s family, called the arrest “a celebratory victory in the pursuit of justice” and “another symbol of the urgent need for reform of police conduct and accountability.”

“The actions that led to Ta’Kiya’s death – the unnecessary aggression, the insistent orders that amounted to ‘obey or die’ – were all witnessed in horrific clarity,” he said.

Nadine Young, Ms. Young’s grandmother, told CBS News that the past year has been very difficult for the family, including Ms. Young’s two young sons.

“It was torture, it was like a whirlwind of suffering and pain,” she said.

A video of the encounter on August 24, 2023, shows the two officers speaking to Ms. Young for about a minute before the shot is fired.

Both officers were in the parking lot on another assignment.

Ms Young was the mother of two boys, aged six and three, and was due to give birth in November.