Former Columbus Division of Police officer Adam Coy has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 murder of Andre Hill, an unarmed man shot during a non-emergency police call in Columbus, Ohio.
Coy, a former Columbus police officer, fatally shot Andre Hill on December 22, 2020, after officers responded to a non-emergency call involving a vehicle reportedly being turned on and off. Hill, 47, was at a northwest Columbus home and was not armed when Coy encountered him.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, Hill was holding a cellphone and keys when Coy shot him. Coy claimed during trial that he believed Hill was holding a gun. Prosecutors argued Hill was following police commands and did not pose a threat.
The shooting became one of the most significant police accountability cases in Columbus history. Coy was fired shortly after the killing. The decision to terminate him followed public outrage and scrutiny over the shooting, including the fact that Coy did not activate his body-worn camera before the shooting. The camera’s look-back feature still captured video of the incident.
Coy was later indicted by a Franklin County grand jury. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced in February 2021 that Coy had been charged with murder, felonious assault, and dereliction of duty counts related to the shooting death of Hill.
After years of delays, Coy’s trial ended in November 2024 with a jury finding him guilty of murder, reckless homicide, and felonious assault. The Reuters report on the conviction noted that body-camera footage showed Hill emerging from a garage while holding up a glowing cellphone before Coy opened fire.
On July 28, 2025, Coy was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 15 years. The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the sentence was mandatory following Coy’s murder conviction.
The case also raised serious questions about what happened after Hill was shot. Multiple reports noted that officers delayed providing medical aid. That failure became part of the public outrage surrounding the killing and helped lead Columbus to pass reforms known as “Andre’s Law,” requiring officers to provide immediate medical aid to injured people they encounter.
The City of Columbus also reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, one of the largest police use-of-force settlements in Ohio history. The settlement did not erase the criminal case against Coy, but it reflected the city’s acknowledgment of the seriousness of the killing and its consequences.
Coy has continued to challenge the outcome. In August 2025, WOSU reported that Coy filed an appeal with Ohio’s 10th District Court of Appeals.
For many in Columbus and beyond, the murder conviction and life sentence marked a rare example of an on-duty police officer being held criminally responsible for a fatal shooting. For Andre Hill’s family, the case remains about the loss of a man who was unarmed, had been invited to the home, and never should have been killed during a non-emergency call.
