Ex-police officer convicted of shooting to death black man holding cellphone and keys

A former Ohio police officer was convicted Monday of shooting and killing Andre Hill, a black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed. Officer Adam CoyHill, who had been on the Columbus police force for nearly 20 years, shot Hill four times in a garage about four years ago. Coy, who is white, was fired following the shooting. He later told jurors he thought Hill was holding a silver gun.

“I thought I was going to die,” he testified. Coy said it was only after he walked over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realized there was no gun. “At that point I knew I had made a mistake. I was horrified.”

Coy, whose view was partially obscured by his grim-faced lawyers, did not visibly react to the verdict, but muffled screams could be heard in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Prosecutors sought immediate sentencing of the former police officer, but Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh instead set a sentencing date of Nov. 25.

Police body camera footage showed Hill emerging from the garage of a friend’s home, holding a cellphone in his left hand, seconds before he was fatally shot by Coy, his right hand not visible. Almost 10 minutes passed before police officers arrived at the scene and began helping Hill, who was lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the garage. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor fired the police chief following a series of deadly police shootings against Black men and boys. Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in the city’s history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to provide immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.

Prosecutors said Hill, 47, complied with the officer’s orders and never posed a threat to Coy, who now faces at least 15 years in prison.

“We are taught to do what cops tell you to do, and you can survive this encounter,” Franklin County assistant prosecutor Anthony Pierson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what’s happening here.”

The officer’s attorneys argued that it didn’t matter that Hill didn’t have the gun because Coy thought his life was in danger. “He wasn’t careless, he was reasonable,” attorney Mark Collins said.

The first time Coy saw Hill sitting in an SUV, he had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a complaint about someone inside a running vehicle. Hill told Coy he was waiting for a friend to come out.

The officer said he thought Hill appeared unconcerned and became suspicious after Hill went to a home and knocked on the door before entering the garage.

Prosecutors asked Coy why he didn’t ask Hill for his name or request backup if he was so concerned. CBS affiliate WBNS-TV reported. Coy said he only partially complied with Hill’s commands and hid his right hand.

“I thought he was going to pull it. I pulled my gun and fired four times,” Coy said.

Prosecutors asked Coy if he complied with Hill’s commands, according to WBNS-TV, and Coy responded: “Partly by hiding himself. His right hand was behind his leg.”

According to the channel’s report, Coy is asked if he asked Hill to show his hands.

“It happened very quickly, sir,” said Coy.

Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected she was trying to enter the house. The officer testified that Coy used a flashlight to locate Hill in the garage and told him to get out.

When Hill walked toward him, Coy said he couldn’t see the man’s right hand and then saw what he thought was a gun. “Gun! Gun!” He said he shouted. and then shot at Hill.

Hill, a father and grandfather, was devoted to his family and a talented tradesman who dreamed of one day owning his own restaurant after working for years as a chef and restaurant manager, family and friends said.

Coy had a long history of complaints from residents, with more than three dozen cases filed against him since he joined the department in 2002, according to his personnel file. A dozen of the complaints involved use of force. All but a few were marked as “unsubstantiated” or “unsustainable”.