A former Ohio police officer faces life in prison for shooting and killing an unarmed black man four years ago.
During a court 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 was carrying a cell phone and keys.
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 on Monday of murdering Andre Hill in 2020.
Hill, 47, was unarmed in his garage when Coy shot him around 1 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2020.
Hill had a phone and a set of keys in his hand, which Coy argued 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 felony assault and manslaughter.
Coy will be officially sentenced on November 25.
Judge Stephen L. McIntosh rescinded Coy’s $1 million bail and the former police officer was taken into custody.
Shawna Barnett, one of Hill’s sisters, reflected on the verdict: “I wasn’t afraid because I know what I saw, I know what happened, I know what (Coy) did, so there was no doubt in my mind.”
‘It’s been too long, I’m glad it’s over. It won’t bring Andre back, but hopefully it will set a precedent across the board for everyone else.
Hill’s death caused an uproar in his community when protesters demonstrated near his home.
Coy testified he thought he was ‘going to die’ before shooting Hill to death
“This is not something we can tolerate.”
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Hill’s family, said in a statement: “This verdict offers a measure of justice for the family of Andre Hill, who has waited nearly four years to see criminal accountability for his tragic and unnecessary death”.
‘Andre was an innocent, unarmed man, and his life was taken without regard for his duty to protect and serve. Today’s verdict underscores that no one is above the law, including those sworn to uphold it.’
Hill was a beloved father and grandfather who aspires to own his own restaurant after working as a chef and restaurant manager for years, according to the Boston Globe.
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 the neighbor’s house on the northwest side of Columbus that had been running, then turned off, then turned back on, according to a published copy of the call.
Police body camera footage showed Hill leaving a garage before Coy fatally shot him.
Hill and her daughter, Karissa, when she was young (pictured). Hill was described as a family man who aspired to own a restaurant one day.
Karissa cried in court Monday after hearing the verdict
Hill was left on the ground without help for about 13 minutes after Coy shot him.
There is no audio because Coy had not activated the body camera, but an automatic “look back” feature captured the shooting without audio.
He only turned on the body camera after shooting Hill.
In the moments after Hill was shot and killed, additional body camera footage shows two other Columbus officers turned Hill over and handcuffed him before leaving him alone again.
They left him lying there without help for about 13 minutes.
None of them, according to the released images, offered first aid even though Hill was barely moving, moaning and bleeding as he lay on the garage floor.
The killer cop 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 Dec. 28 for failing to activate his body camera before the confrontation and for failing to provide medical assistance to Hill.
At that 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 individual grand juries, found probable cause to believe that Mr. Coy committed a crime when he shot and killed Andre Hill,” Attorney General Dave Yost said during a press conference in February 2021. .
Hill’s death caused an uproar within his community, and protesters demonstrated outside his home after his death.