Officer(s) Involved: Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy.
Synopsis: On 22 December 2021, police officers Adam Coy responded to a 311 non-emergency call for a noise complaint.
Coy told officials he thought he saw Andre Hill, a Black man, holding a gun before shooting him. Hill had a cellphone in his left hand. No weapons were found.
Officer Detweiler, who also responded to the complaint, told investigators she heard Coy scream that Hill had a gun in his hand. She said she couldn’t recall if Coy ordered Hill to drop a weapon. Detweiler also said she did not see a gun in Hill’s hand and that she didn’t observe any threats from Hill.
Police body camera footage also showed a woman coming out of the house where Hill was shot and telling police, “He was bringing me Christmas money. He didn’t do anything.” Police ordered her to go back inside the residence without asking her any questions, the footage shows.
Coy did not turn his body camera on until after he fired shots at Hill. However, his camera automatically activated and recorded 60 seconds of the episode without sound.
Police body camera footage released in December 2020 showed officers handcuffing an apparently lifeless Hill after shooting him multiple times and then standing around for five minutes and 11 seconds without rendering first aid.
Coy was fired in January 2021 after an investigation determined that his use of deadly force was not reasonable. Coy has been arrested and charged with one count of murder, one count of felonious assault and two counts of dereliction duty.
In May 2021, Columbus city officials agreed to pay a settlement of $10 million, to Mr. Hill’s family. If approved by the City Council, this will be the largest settlement ever paid out by the city. According to attorneys, it is also the “largest pretrial settlement in a police use-of-force case in state history”.
Outcome: After multiple postponements due to his health issues, including cancer treatment, Coy’s trial began. On 4 November 2024, a Franklin County jury found Coy guilty of murder, reckless homicide, and felonious assault.
After Coy’s conviction, his defense asked for the sentencing to be delayed while they requested a new trial; they allege that the prosecution violated Coy’s rights by not soliciting testimony from a use-of-force expert who believed Coy’s use of force was justified. The delay was granted and at time of publication another date has yet to be set for Coy’s sentencing.
