A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man holding a cellphone has been sentenced to fifteen years in jail.
Adam Coy, who was convicted of homicide in November, was handed the obligatory sentence practically 4 years after the taking pictures of 47-year-old Andre Hill. Nevertheless, Coy says he plans to enchantment.
“I really feel my actions had been justified. I reacted the identical approach I had in a whole bunch of coaching eventualities,” he mentioned. “I drew and fired my weapon to cease a menace, defend myself and my associate.”
Coy fired 4 photographs at Hill in December 2020, placing him as soon as within the chest and 3 times within the leg as Hill emerged from a storage holding a cellphone in a single hand and keys within the different.
Physique digicam footage confirmed that Coy and fellow officer Amy Detwiler had approached the scene with weapons drawn. Neither officer had activated their physique cameras till after the taking pictures, however a lookback function captured the moments earlier than Coy opened hearth— inside 10 seconds of encountering Hill.
“I knew at that time I made a mistake,” Coy advised jurors throughout his trial in October 2024. “I used to be horrified. It was the worst night time of my life.”
Prosecutors argued Hill by no means posed a menace and had adopted instructions. Detwiler testified that she didn’t see a gun or really feel threatened. A report from her inside affairs interview said, “Officer Detwiler said Officer Coy noticed a firearm and yelled, ‘There’s a gun in his different hand, there’s a gun in his different hand!’” Nevertheless, no weapon was recovered on the scene.
The officers had responded to a non-emergency name round 1:37 a.m. about somebody turning a automobile on and off and taking part in loud music. Hill, who was visiting a good friend’s house, complied when requested to exit the storage. Inside moments, Coy fired 4 occasions.
Virtually 10 minutes handed earlier than any life-saving assist was administered. Hill died lower than an hour later on the hospital.
“To look at my brother die, I imply, on the market with no medical assist, interval, no type of sympathy or empathy for him in any respect, after which to observe him get turned over and handcuffed is unbelievable,” Hill’s sister Shawna Barnett mentioned in a 2021 interview with “CBS Mornings.”
In sufferer influence statements delivered on the sentencing, Hill’s household described him as a sort, well-loved man recognized to his grandchildren as “Large Daddy.” His ex-wife and sisters emphasised his mild nature and the senselessness of his dying, in accordance with CBS.
Coy, a 20-year veteran of the Columbus Police Division, had a protracted historical past of citizen complaints, although most had been deemed unfounded. He was fired days after the taking pictures, and in April 2021, indicted on prices of homicide, felonious assault, and reckless murder. He additionally confronted two counts of dereliction of responsibility for failing to activate his physique digicam and failing to alert his associate to what he claimed was a perceived menace.
Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan really helpful Coy’s firing, stating using drive was not objectively affordable. Security Director Ned Pettus Jr. upheld the choice, saying Coy violated the division’s use-of-force coverage, didn’t render assist, and uncared for to activate his digicam.
“I’ve responded to many officer-involved taking pictures scenes and spoken with many officers following these important incidents,” Quinlan wrote in a December 2020 report. “There was one thing very distinct in regards to the officers’ engagement following this important incident that’s troublesome to explain for this letter.”
Within the aftermath of the killing, the town of Columbus handed “Andre’s Legislation,” requiring officers to activate physique cameras throughout enforcement actions and to manage medical assist following any use of drive. Hill’s dying additionally contributed to the ouster of the town’s police chief amid broader scrutiny of deadly police shootings of Black residents.
Town reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s household, the most important in Columbus’s historical past. The settlement included a provision to rename the Brentnell Neighborhood Middle gymnasium in Hill’s honor. Hill had spent important time on the heart, and his household mentioned the renaming carried deep emotional worth.
“That was a spot that he spent a variety of time and a spot that may be very significant to their household,” lawyer Michael Wright mentioned. “To have that carried out makes them very pleased.”
Metropolis Lawyer Zach Klein acknowledged the emotional toll of the incident. “We perceive that due to this former officer’s actions, the Hill household won’t ever be complete,” he mentioned. “No amount of cash will ever deliver Andre Hill again to his household, however we imagine this is a vital and vital step in the best route.”
The whole settlement is to be paid instantly upon approval by the town council and court docket. It bars future authorized motion associated to Hill’s dying towards Coy, Detwiler, or any of the opposite 16 named officers concerned.
Lawyer Ben Crump, representing the household alongside Wright and Richard W. Schulte, mentioned Hill’s dying might need been prevented if assist had been rendered promptly. An post-mortem supported that view.
“We’re pleased that this has occurred, however this can be a first step. We would like the officer to be convicted, we would like him to be incarcerated,” Wright mentioned after Coy’s indictment. “The household is pleased and so they’re cautiously optimistic that Officer Coy must pay the worth and be convicted for the killing of Andre Hill.”
Hill’s taking pictures occurred lower than three weeks after one other high-profile police killing in Columbus — the dying of 23-year-old Casey Goodson, who was shot by a sheriff’s deputy.
Former Franklin County Deputy Jason Meade is scheduled to be retried on homicide prices in December after his first trial resulted in a mistrial in February 2024. Each circumstances intensified public outcry and raised strain on native officers to overtake policing requirements and accountability.
