Former Officer Convicted of Murder in Andre Hill Shooting

On Monday, a former Ohio police officer was convicted of murder for the fatal shooting of a Black man four years prior in Columbus, as the man exited a garage. Adam Coy, identified as white, faces a potential life sentence for the December 2020 killing of Andre Hill, 47. Mr. Hill was holding a mobile phone and keys when Coy discharged his weapon four times, striking him. Coy, aged 48, testified to jurors that he believed Mr. Hill possessed a silver revolver. He stated, “I thought I was going to die,” and recounted realizing his error upon examining Mr. Hill’s body and finding no weapon. Coy further testified, “I knew at that point I made a mistake,” adding, “I was horrified.” The incident began when Coy responded to a report of an individual inside a running vehicle around 01:30 AM, where he initially encountered Mr. Hill seated in an SUV. The former officer described Mr. Hill as appearing dismissive and stated he grew suspicious when Mr. Hill proceeded to a nearby residence, knocked, and subsequently entered via the garage. A subsequent investigation determined the house was owned by a friend of Mr. Hill’s. Coy then utilized a flashlight to locate Mr. Hill within the garage and instructed him to exit. Body camera footage from police revealed Mr. Hill emerging from the garage with a mobile phone in his left hand, his right hand out of view, moments before Coy shot him. Approximately 10 minutes elapsed before officers present at the scene provided Mr. Hill with medical aid. He was later declared deceased at a local hospital. Prosecutors asserted that Mr. Hill complied with the officer’s directives and posed no threat to Coy. During closing arguments, prosecutor Anthony Pierson stated, “We’re taught do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive the encounter,” adding, “That’s not what happened here.” AP News reported that Coy displayed no visible reaction to the verdict. Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh scheduled the sentencing for 25 November. In the weeks following Mr. Hill’s shooting, the Columbus police chief stepped down amid increasing examination of multiple fatal shootings involving unarmed Black individuals, including children. Subsequently, the city agreed to a $10 million (£7.7 million) settlement with Hill’s family, marking the largest such agreement in its history. The Columbus city council later enacted Andre’s Law, mandating that police officers administer immediate medical attention to injured suspects.