Blendon Township Trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday to reinstate police officer Connor Grubb to active duty.
Trustees put Grubb on paid administrative leave in November, shortly after a jury acquitted him of murder and other charges in the 2023 shooting death of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young.
Young, who was pregnant, was accused of shoplifting at a Kroger on Sunbury Road. Grubb shot her through her car windshield in the parking lot during a confrontation with police. Body camera video shows Young's car moving slowly forward and apparently striking Grubb before he fired his gun.
Blendon Township Trustee April Zobel said Wednesday night that she understands the community is "hurting and divided" and that no outcome for Grubb would satisfy everyone.
"Something devastating happened, and under the laws as they exist today, it was determined to fall within their confines. That reality is painful, but it is the reality we are bound by," Zobel said after the vote.
She called the decision to put Grubb back on active duty "difficult" but said experts assured it was the "right outcome."
"This decision reflects the requirements of the law and township policy. It was made with one goal in mind: doing what is best for Blendon Township as a whole," Zobel said.
Grubb will have to complete a fit-for-duty evaluation and applicable recertifications before he returns to work.
Zobel said the township will work to provide advanced training to police that exceeds state requirements.
