Adam Coy, a former police officer in the Columbus police department, was convicted of murder of an unarmed black man, Andre Hill. Coy was found guilty in a fatal shooting that took place on December 22, 2024.
Apart from the murder, the jury in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas case convicted Coy of felonious assault and reckless homicide. The incident took place when Coy, who was on duty, responded to a tip-off of suspicious activity and came across Hill in a garage.
Assuming that he was armed, Coy fired at Hill four times. But, in actuality, Hill just had a cell phone and keys in his hand.
Who is Adam Coy?
Adam Coy was an officer in the Columbus police department in Ohio when he was convicted of murder for shooting an unarmed Black man, Andre Hill. He worked with the Columbus Police Department for close to 20 years until his dismissal after the shooting episode.
According to Sky News, during his service in the force, over three dozen complaints were made against him. While compiling the report, many of the complaints were on the use of force most of which were "unfounded" or "not sustained".
The incident
On the night of the shooting, Coy was responding to a call about a vehicle that was being started and stopped repeatedly. Upon arriving at the scene around 1:30 AM, he encountered Andre Hill in a garage. At that time, Hill was holding a cell phone and keys in his hand, but Coy felt threatened since he perceived it as a firearm. Out of panic, Coy fired four shots and killed Hill.
When the body camera footage from the incident was reviewed, Hill was seen coming out of the garage with his cell phone in hand, and his other hand concealed. According to the records, it was approximately nine and a half minutes before officers started administering first aid to Hill, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The incident happened just weeks after a county sheriff’s deputy shot a Black man in the state capital and months after the murder of George Floyd sparked demonstrations against racism and police brutality across the United States.
Trial and conviction
Coy’s trial started as the police conduct was under increased public pressure. In his testimony, Coy said he sensed the danger of being killed and that he thought Hill was carrying a weapon. But, when the police arrived at Hill’s body after shooting him, he swiftly realized his mistake after finding out that the victim only had keys in his hand.
He was quoted by The Independent telling jurors:
“I thought I was going to die. I knew at that point I made a mistake. I was horrified.”
On November 4, 2024, a jury found Adam Coy guilty on multiple charges: Murder, Felonious Assault and Reckless Homicide.
The jury deliberated for roughly 48 hours before coming to a decision, according to NBC News. After the verdict, Judge Stephen McIntosh left the sentencing for November 25, 2024. Coy’s punishment is life imprisonment which means he will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.
Aftermath
The killing of Andre Hill elicited a huge public outrage forcing the Columbus Police Department to execute changes. The city awarded $10 million in compensation to Hill’s family, such an amount is considered to be one of the largest settlements that the city has tendered. This was done in an effort to serve justice to the family of Hill and the other victims. They also enacted “Andre’s Law” which requires officers to offer first aid to injured suspects.
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Hill’s sister, Shawna Barnett, informed local news station WBNS-10TV:
“Today was fair. Justice spoke, and we got what we wanted. We got what was fair and right.”
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