Ex-cop found guilty of killing black man while holding cell phone and keys

(AP) — A former police officer was found guilty of murder Monday in the shooting death of Andre Hill, a black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed.

Officer Adam Coy, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department, shot Hill four times in a garage nearly four years ago. Coy, who is white, was fired after the shooting. He told jurors he believed Hill was holding a silver revolver that turned out to be keys.

“I thought I was going to die,” he testified. “It wasn’t until he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realized the gun was gone,” Coy said tearfully. “At that moment I realized that I had made a mistake. I was terrified.”

Coy, partially hidden from view by grim lawyers, did not noticeably react to the verdict, but muffled screams could be heard in the courtroom when it was read. Prosecutors demanded that the former officer be sentenced immediately. Instead, Franklin County Judge Steven McIntosh set a sentencing date of Nov. 25.

Coy, who is undergoing cancer treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was devastated, said defense lawyer Mark Collins, who slightly shook his head “no” when the verdict was read and later vowed to appeal.

Police camera footage shows Hill leaving the garage of a friend’s home, holding a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before Coy fatally shot him. Nearly 10 minutes passed before officers on the scene began helping Hill, who was bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor ousted the police chief following a series of fatal police shootings of Black men and children. Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in the city’s history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to provide immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.

Prosecutors said Hill, 47, followed the officer’s commands and never posed a threat to Coy, who now faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. The jury also found him guilty of negligent homicide and assault.

“We’re taught, ‘Do what the cops tell you, and you can survive this encounter,'” Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Anthony Pearson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what happened here.”

Shauna Barnett, one of the Hill sisters, hoped the jury’s decision would send a message that police violence will not be tolerated.

“It’s been too long, but I’m glad it’s over,” she said. “It’s time to stop. It’s time to make things fair.”

Brian Steele, president of the police union in Columbus, said he was shocked by the murder conviction and said it would have a ripple effect on officers in Ohio and beyond.

“Your split-second decision can now lead to murder,” he said. “It’s absolutely crazy.”

“Officers are willing to die for their community, they are willing to die for this job,” Steele said. “They don’t want to go to jail for this work.”

The officer’s lawyers argued that Hill’s lack of a weapon was irrelevant because Coy believed his life was in danger. “He wasn’t reckless, he was reasonable,” Collins said during the trial.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Hill’s family, said the verdict showed that no one is above the law and made it clear that “accountability in law enforcement is not optional.”

“Andre was an unarmed and innocent man, and his life was deprived of respect for the duty to protect and serve,” Crump said in a statement.

Coy had gone to the area to investigate a complaint of someone inside a running vehicle when he first encountered Hill sitting in the SUV. Hill told Coy he was waiting for his friend to come outside.

The officer said he believed Hill appeared dismissive and then suspicious after Hill approached the house and knocked on the door before entering the garage.

Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected he was trying to break into the house. The officer said Coy used a flashlight to spot Hill in the garage and told him to come out.

As Hill approached him, Coy said he couldn’t see the man’s right hand and then saw what he believed to be a revolver. He said he screamed, “Gun! Gun!” and then shot Hill.

Family and friends said Hill, a father and grandfather, was devoted to his family and was a skilled tradesman who dreamed of one day owning his own restaurant after years of working as a chef and restaurant manager.

According to his personnel file, Coy had a long history of complaints from residents, with more than three dozen complaints filed against him since he began working for the department in 2002. A dozen complaints related to the use of force. All but a few of the claims were labeled “unsubstantiated” or “unsubstantiated.”

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