Topics

Ex-Columbus, Ohio, cop Adam Coy to face trial in 2020 shooting of Andre Hill

Ex-Columbus, Ohio, cop Adam Coy to face trial in 2020 shooting of Andre Hill

USA Today
USA Today
-October 21, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A white former police officer is set to stand trial in the killing of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot by law enforcement responding to a noise complaint.

Adam Coy, who was fired from his post after 19 years with the police department, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, felonious assault, reckless homicide and two counts of dereliction of duty in the shooting death of Hill, 47. Jury selection in his case begins Monday.

Coy was the first officer to respond to a nonemergency noise complaint about an SUV running on and off in the early morning hours of Dec. 22, 2020. When Coy arrived at the scene, Hill was inside a garage at his friend's house where he was an invited guest. As Hill emerged from the garage, Coy shot him multiple times.

In a statement after criminal charges were filed, Coy's attorney, Mark Collins, said Coy mistook a key ring in Hill's right hand for a silver revolver.

"The Supreme Court has said the officers are allowed to make mistakes if the mistake is reasonable through the lens of a reasonable police officer," Collins previously told The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network. "Adam Coy was mistaken. He thought the keys were a revolver, and he reacted based on his training."

Neither Coy nor the other responding officer turned on their body cameras until after the shooting, However, because of a "look-back" feature on the cameras that records the 60 seconds before they are turned on, the shooting itself was captured on video, with no audio.

The video shows officers walking up the driveway to the open garage door at the home. Hill, who was initially facing away from the officers, turns around and takes four steps toward the officers with his cellphone his left hand and his right hand not visible in a coat pocket.

Coy shot Hill as he approached the garage's entrance approximately 10 seconds after the encounter began. After the shots were fired, he turned on his body camera and captured audio. The additional footage from Coy and other officers who responded to the scene shows Hill received no medical attention for more than 10 minutes.

Coy fired from police department

Coy, who served with the Columbus police for 19 years, was fired less than a week after the shooting.

In February 2021, he was indicted by a grand jury in Franklin County on charges of murder, felonious assault and two dereliction of duty charges, one for Coy not turning on his body camera before the shooting and the other for not warning the female officer about the potential danger Coy believed Hill posed.

Coy's personnel records show more than 90 citizen complaints were filed against him during his 19-year tenure with Columbus police. Those complaints included a 2012 incident in which Coy received a 160-hour suspension, and the city paid $45,000 to a man Coy had stopped for drunken driving.

Previous reporting by The Dispatch found a cruiser camera had caught Coy "banging the driver's head into the hood four times" during the arrest, which was deemed "excessive for the situation." Other complaints documented a history of Coy acting inappropriately when faced with stressful situations and not using de-escalation techniques.

City pays Hill's family $10 million in settlement

After the shooting, the city of Columbus agreed to pay Hill's family $10 million as a result of Hill's death – the largest settlement in the city's history. As part of the city's agreement with Hill's family, the gymnasium inside of a community center was renamed in Hill's honor.

The Columbus City Council also passed Andre's Law, which requires Columbus officers to have their body cameras on when responding to calls and to provide medical assistance until paramedics arrive at a scene. Officers who do not do so could be criminally charged.

In addition, Columbus police upgraded their body camera system to include a two-minute look-back feature that captures audio and video. The cameras utilize Bluetooth technology to automatically turn on when a cruiser's lights or siren are activated, a rifle or shotgun rack is released, a cruiser accelerates to a high speed or a cruiser is involved in a crash.

Coy's long-awaited trial was postponed indefinitely while the former Columbus police officer underwent treatment for cancer. His health is now considered good enough to undergo a trial likely to last two to three weeks.

He is expected to testify in his own defense.

🎁

Refer and Earn!

Invite friends and get a chance to win monthly prize draws!

Published by
USA Today
USA Today
@USATODAY
ℹ️
Guide to truth

Read news with confidence using our guidelines, ensuring you access accurate and reliable information

See our Guidelines
Spot an Issue?
✍️
Disclaimer!

This news report is reproduced from the original source without any modifications by MATA. MATA has solely condensed the news for the purpose of brevity

Comments (0)