By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-05 07:01:39 | Updated at 2024-11-05 09:30:19
2 hours ago
A former police officer in Ohio is facing a life sentence for shooting and killing an unarmed black man four years ago.
During a Monday court hearing, 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 to come out of his garage. The victim was holding a cellphone and keys.
Coy alleged 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 for murdering Andre Hill in 2020
Hill, 47, was unarmed in his garage when Coy shot him at around 1 am on December 22, 2020
Hill had a phone and set of keys in his hand, which Coy argued he believed was a revolver
The jury at Franklin County Court of Common Pleas deliberated for about two and a half days. Aside from murder, Coy was also found guilty of felonious assault and reckless homicide.
Coy will be officially sentenced on November 25.
Judge Stephen L. McIntosh rescinded Coy's $1 million bond and the former cop was taken into custody.
Shawna Barnett, one of Hill's sisters, reflected on the verdict: 'I wasn't fearful because I know what I saw, I know what happened, I know what [Coy] did, so there was no question in my mind.'
'It's been way too long, I'm glad that it's over. It won't bring Andre back, but hopefully it'll set a precedent across the board for everyone else.
Hill's death sparked uproar within his community as protestors demonstrated near his home
Coy testified he thought he was 'going to die' before he shot Hill dead
'This is not something we can tolerate.'
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, representing Hill's family, said in a statement: 'This verdict delivers a measure of justice for Andre Hill's family, who have waited nearly four years to see criminal accountability for his tragic and unnecessary death.
'Andre was an unarmed, innocent man, and his life was taken with disregard for the 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 has aspirations of owning 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 1am on the night Hill was killed.
The call was about a car parked in front of the neighbor's house in Columbus' northwest side that had been running, then shut off, then turned back on, according to a released copy of the call.
Police bodycam footage showed Hill emerging from a garage before he was fatally shot by Coy.
Hill and his daughter, Karissa, when she was young (pictured). Hill was described as a family man who aspired to own a restaurant one day
Karissa sobbed in court on Monday in reaction to hearing the verdict
Hill was left on the ground without aid for about 13 minutes after Coy shot him
There is no audio because Coy hadn't activated the body camera, but an automatic 'look back' feature captured the shooting without audio.
He only turned on the body camera after he shot Hill.
In the moments after Hill was fatally shot, additional bodycam footage shows two other Columbus officers rolled Hill over and put handcuffs on him before leaving him alone again.
They left him lying without any aid for about 13 minutes.
None of them, according to the footage released, offered any first aid even though Hill was barely moving, groaning and bleeding while laying 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 complaints from citizens, was fired on December 28 for failing to activate his body camera before the confrontation and for not providing medical aid to Hill.
He had more than 36 complaints against him at the time.
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 the individual grand jurors, found probable cause to believe that Mr. Coy committed a crime when he killed Andre Hill by gunfire,' Attorney General Dave Yost said during a February 2021 news conference.
Hill's death caused an uproar within his community, with protesters demonstrating in front of his home after his death.
