A former Ohio police officer faces life in prison for shooting and killing an unarmed black man four years ago.
During a hearing on Monday, Adam Coy, 48, was found guilty of murdering Andre Hill, 47, in his garage on December 22, 2020.
Hill was shot four times after Coy ordered him out of his garage. The victim had a mobile phone and keys in his hands.
Coy claimed in court that he believed the set of keys was a silver revolver.
‘I thought I was going to die,’ Coy testified last week, ABC News reported.
Adam Coy, 48, was found guilty in court Monday for the 2020 murder of Andre Hill
Hill, 47, was unarmed in his garage when Coy shot him around 1 a.m. on December 22, 2020
Hill had a telephone and a set of keys in his hand, which Coy said he believed was a revolver
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas jury deliberated for about two and a half days. In addition to murder, Coy was also found guilty of assault and reckless homicide.
Coy will be officially sentenced on November 25.
Judge Stephen L. McIntosh revoked Coy’s $1 million bond and the former officer was taken into custody.
Shawna Barnett, one of Hill’s sisters, reflected on the verdict: “I wasn’t scared because I know what I saw, I know what happened, I know what happened. [Coy] did, so there was no doubt in my mind.”
‘It took far too long, I’m glad it’s over. It won’t bring Andre back, but hopefully it will set a precedent for everyone else across the board.
Hill’s death caused an uproar within his community as protesters demonstrated near his home
Coy testified that he thought he was “going to die” before he shot Hill
“This is not something we can tolerate.”
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Hill’s family, said in a statement: “This verdict provides a measure of justice for the family of Andre Hill, who waited nearly four years to be held criminally liable for his tragic and unnecessary death .
“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.”
Hill was a beloved father and grandfather who aspires to own his own restaurant after working for years as a chef and restaurant manager, the newspaper said. Boston sphere.
Coy and another officer responded to a neighbor’s non-emergency call after 1 a.m. the night Hill was killed.
The call was about a car parked in front of a neighbor’s house on Columbus’ northwest side that had been running, then turned off and then back on, according to a released copy of the call.
Police bodycam footage showed Hill emerging from a garage before he was fatally shot by Coy.
Hill and his daughter Karissa, when she was young (photo). Hill was described as a family man who wanted to one day own a restaurant
Karissa cried in court on Monday in response to hearing the verdict
Hill remained on the ground unaided for about 13 minutes after Coy shot him
There is no sound because Coy had not activated the body camera, but an automatic “look back” feature captured the shooting without sound.
He didn’t turn on the body camera until after he shot Hill.
In the moments after Hill was fatally shot, additional bodycam footage shows two other Columbus officers rolled Hill over and handcuffed him before leaving him alone again.
They left him lying there for about 13 minutes without any assistance.
According to the released footage, none of them provided any first aid, even as Hill barely moved, groaning and bleeding as he lay on the garage floor.
The killer was fired a week after the shooting. He was charged with murder in February 2021.
Coy, who had a long history of citizen complaints, was fired on Dec. 28 for failing to activate his body camera before the confrontation and for failing to provide Hill with medical attention.
At the time he had more than 36 complaints against him.
Coy was arrested and charged with murder in February 2021, months after the shooting
Hill was pronounced dead about an hour after the shooting and Coy was arrested a few days after the incident.
“In this case, the citizens of Franklin County, represented by the individual grand jurors, found probable cause to believe that Mr. Coy committed a crime when he killed Andre Hill with gunfire,” Attorney General Dave Yost said during a press conference in February 2021. .
Hill’s death caused an uproar within his community, with protesters demonstrating outside his home after his death.
