A former Ohio police officer was convicted of murder Monday in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed.
Officer Adam Coy, who served nearly 20 years with the Columbus police force, shot Hill four times in a garage nearly four years ago.
He later told jurors that he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver that turned out to be keys.
It was only after he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realized there was no gun, Coy said.
The officer’s attorneys argued that Hill’s lack of a weapon did not matter because Coy thought his life was in danger.
A former Ohio police officer was found guilty on Monday of killing Andre Hill, a Black man who was carrying keys and a cellphone at the time of his death. Nearly four years ago, Officer Adam Coy, who had been with the Columbus police department for almost 20 years, shot Hill four times in a garage. Following the shooting, White Coy was let go. He later testified before the jury that he believed Hill was carrying silver revolvers, but they were actually keys.
“I thought I was going to die,” he said in court. “He didn’t realize there was no gun until he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys,” Coy said. “I realized then that I had erred. I was appalled. “.”.
Muffled sobs could be heard in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, but Coy, who was partially obscured from view by his grim-faced lawyers, did not appear to react. The former officer should have been sentenced right away, according to the prosecution, but Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh set a November sentencing date. 25. .
Defense lawyer Mark Collins said that Coy, who is receiving cancer treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, was devastated by the verdict and gave a small “no” shake when it was announced. He subsequently pledged to file an appeal.
Just before he was shot and killed by Coy, Hill was seen on police body camera footage leaving a friend’s house’s garage with a cellphone in his left hand and his right hand hidden. Hill was bleeding on the garage floor when responding officers finally started to help him, nearly ten minutes later. At a hospital, he was declared dead.
Following a string of deadly police shootings of Black men and children in December 2020, the mayor fired the police chief a few weeks later. A $10 million settlement, the biggest in the city’s history, was later reached between Columbus and Hill’s family. Additionally, Andre’s Law, which mandates that police officers provide an injured suspect with immediate medical attention, was passed by the Columbus City Council.
The 47-year-old Hill, according to the prosecution, had obeyed the officer’s orders and posed no threat to Coy, who now faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. Additionally, the jury convicted him of felonious assault and reckless homicide.
At closing arguments, Franklin County assistant prosecutor Anthony Pierson stated, “We’re taught do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive that encounter.”. “That was not the case here. “..”.
One of Hill’s sisters, Shawna Barnett, expressed her hope that the decision would make it clear that police brutality will not be accepted.
Her words were, “I’m glad it’s over, but it’s been way too long.”. “Now is the moment to cease. The time has come to make things equitable. “.
The murder conviction shocked Brian Steel, president of the Columbus police union, who said it would have repercussions for officers in Ohio and beyond. He stated, “Your momentary choice can now result in murder.”. “It’s completely crazy. Steel remarked, “Officers are willing to die for this job, they are willing to die for their community.”. “They don’t want to serve this job in prison. “.”.
Hill’s lack of a weapon, according to the officer’s lawyers, was irrelevant because Coy believed his life was in jeopardy. According to Collins, “He wasn’t reckless, he was reasonable,” during the trial.
Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has defended Hill’s family, said the decision demonstrated that no one is above the law and conveyed the message that “law enforcement accountability is not optional.”. “,”.
Crump said in a statement, “Andre was an unarmed, innocent man, and his life was taken with disregard for the duty to protect and serve.”.
The first time Coy saw Hill sitting in an SUV, he was on his way to the neighborhood to look into a complaint about someone inside a moving car. Hill explained to Coy that he was waiting for a friend to emerge from the house.
After Hill went to a house, knocked on the door, and then went into the garage, the officer claimed he initially thought Hill appeared dismissive before becoming suspicious.
Coy was asked by prosecutors why, if he was so worried, he didn’t ask Hill for his name or call for help, according to CBS affiliate WBNS-TV. Hill was concealing his right hand, according to Coy, and only partially complied with his orders.
“I assumed he would draw. After drawing my weapon, I fired four shots,” Coy remarked.
When prosecutors asked Coy if Hill was following his orders, Coy said, “Partially, by hiding himself,” according to WBNS-TV. His right hand was behind his leg. “.”.
The station said that Coy was asked if he had asked Hill to reveal his hands.
“It went by too quickly, sir,” Coy said. “..”.
Coy claimed that he thought Hill might be attempting to break into the house after losing sight of him. According to Coy’s testimony, he saw Hill in the garage using a flashlight and ordered him to come out.
Coy claimed that as Hill approached him, he first saw what he believed to be a revolver but was unable to see the man’s right hand. He claimed to have screamed, “Gun! Gun!” before shooting Hill.
According to friends and family, Hill, a grandfather and father, was a hard worker who hoped to open his own restaurant after years of working as a chef and restaurant manager.
According to his personnel file, Coy had a long history of complaints from residents; since joining the department in 2002, over three dozen complaints had been made against him. Twelve of the complaints concerned the use of force. Except for a few, they were all deemed “unfounded” or “not sustained.”. “.”.
