Andre Hill shooting: Former Ohio cop Adam Coy found guilty of murder in 2020 fatal shooting of unarmed black man

Former police officer Adam Coy was found guilty of murder by a jury on Monday in the 2020 fatal shooting of Andre Hill, a 47-year-old unarmed black man who was shot four times after the suspect ordered him out of a darkened garage while holding a cell phone and a large set of keys.

The jury in the high-profile Franklin County Court of Common Pleas case announced its verdict after deliberating for about two and a half days.

The video in the player above is from a 2021 report.

In addition to murder, the jury also found Coy guilty of assault and reckless homicide.

“This verdict provides a measure of justice for the family of Andre Hill, who have waited nearly four years for criminal accountability for his tragic and unnecessary death,” national civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Hill’s family, said in a statement. “Andre was an unarmed, innocent man, and his life was taken in disregard of the duty to protect and serve. Today’s verdict underlines that no one is above the law, including those sworn to uphold the law.”

Crump added, “We hope these sentences bring some healing to the Hill family and send a strong message: responsibility in law enforcement is not optional.”

Coy claimed at trial that he feared for his life when he mistakenly believed Hill pointed a silver revolver at him as he stepped out of the garage on December 22, 2020. But the silver revolver Coy testified that he believed Hill was holding back. his right hand turned out to be a set of silver keys.

“I thought I was going to die,” an emotional Coy, a former member of the Columbus Police Department, testified last week.

Coy faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He will be sentenced on November 25.

After the verdict was announced just after noon local time, Judge Stephen L. McIntosh revoked Coy’s $1 million bond and Coy was immediately taken into custody by court officers who led him out of the courtroom.

Coy was fired from the Columbus Police Department about a week after the shooting.

About a month after the shooting, Coy was arrested and charged with Hill’s murder.

Coy didn’t turn on his body-worn camera until he shot Hill, but the device has a “flashback” feature that automatically activated and recorded 60 seconds of the episode without sound, including capturing the shooting.

The body camera footage, which was played for the jury, also showed that as Hill lay dying on the floor of the garage, none of the officers who responded to the incident appeared to immediately administer first aid. The footage showed a woman coming out of the house and telling officers that Hill was a guest and that “he brought me Christmas money. He didn’t do anything.”

The jury reached its decision Wednesday after hearing closing arguments.

During his summation, Franklin County Prosecutor Anthony Pierson told the jury that the evidence showed beyond a reasonable doubt that Coy’s use of deadly force was not justified, according to his training and national police standards.

“This case is not about someone resisting arrest, where officers rush him, put a knee on him or anything like that and he died,” Pierson said. “This case is not about someone telling the police, ‘I hate you. I’m going to shoot you.’ That’s not what it’s about. It’s about a man who followed police orders and was killed for it.”

Coy’s attorney, Mark Collins, blasted the state’s case, saying prosecutors could not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

‘We now know that the government’s theory is that he somehow (Hesitant) shot an unarmed man and made the whole thing up after the fact,” Collins told jurors, referring to Coy’s claims of self-defense after he mistakenly believed he saw a gun in Hill’s hand. ‘But that is perverse, ladies and gentlemen. These are desperate ladies and gentlemen. These are the heads of government, ladies and gentlemen.”

Collins added: “I’m surprised they didn’t say he planted the keys.”

In May 2021, the city of Columbus agreed to a $10 million wrongful death settlement with Hill’s family, the largest amount the city has ever paid.

The charges against Coy in February 2021 came just days after the Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which is named after Hill and requires Columbus police officers to turn on their body cameras when responding to calls and provide immediate first aid after a usage. of violence incident.