COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former police officer from Ohio is prepared to face trial starting Monday for the shooting death of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man who was killed nearly four years ago while exiting a garage with a cellphone.
Officer Adam Coy, who has spent 17 years with the Columbus Police Department, fatally shot Hill in December 2020 while responding to a noise complaint from a neighbor. Following the incident, Coy was terminated from the force and has entered a plea of not guilty to charges including murder, reckless homicide, and other related offenses. According to Coy’s attorney, Mark Collins, the officer believed that Hill was holding a silver revolver in his right hand at the time of the shooting.
The trial’s jury selection process is scheduled to commence on Monday. Coy had been dispatched to the area to address a complaint regarding noise made by a running vehicle, which led to his encounter with Hill.
Body camera footage released from the police showed Hill coming out of a friend’s garage with a cellphone in his left hand while his right hand remained out of view just seconds before Coy fired the fatal shot. Emergency responders took approximately ten minutes to provide aid to Hill, who was left bleeding on the ground and was later declared dead at a local hospital.
Following the incident, the city’s mayor took significant action, resulting in the dismissal of the police chief amid a broader context of police violence against Black men and children. The city of Columbus eventually reached a historic $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, marking the largest settlement in the city’s history. Additionally, the Columbus City Council enacted “Andre’s Law,” which mandates that police officers provide immediate medical assistance to any injured suspects.
Coy has faced numerous complaints throughout his career, with over 35 filed against him since his employment began in 2002. His personnel records indicate that about a dozen of those complaints involved allegations of excessive force, though most were ruled “unfounded” or “not sustained.”
In a bid to move the proceedings out of the heavily scrutinized Columbus area, Coy’s defense team sought a change of venue, but their attempts were unsuccessful. A message was left for the defense attorney, Collins, in advance of the trial’s start.
Andre Hill is fondly remembered as a loving father and grandfather, known not only for his commitment to family but also for his talents in the culinary field as a chef and restaurant manager who aspired to open his own restaurant.