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Officer Adam Coy, a 17-year veteran of the Columbus police
force, fatally shot Hill while responding to a neighbor's noise
complaint. Coy, who was fired after the Dec. 22, 2020, shooting,
has pleaded not guilty to murder, reckless homicide and related
offenses. Coy's attorney, Mark Collins, has said the officer
thought he saw Hill with a silver revolver in his right hand.
Jury selection in his trial is set to begin Monday.
Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a resident's
complaint about noise from a running car when he encountered
Hill.
Police body camera footage showed Hill emerging from the garage
of a friend's house holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his
right hand not visible, seconds before he was fatally shot by
Coy. About 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene began
coming to the aid of Hill, who lay bleeding on the garage floor.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Weeks after the shooting, the mayor forced out the police chief
amid a series of high-profile fatal police shootings of Black
men and children. Columbus later reached a $10 million
settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in city history.
Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires
police officers to render immediate medical attention to an
injured suspect.
Coy had a lengthy history of complaints from residents, with
more than three dozen filed against him since he joined the
department in 2002, according to his personnel file. A dozen of
the complaints were for use of force. All but a few were marked
“unfounded” or “not sustained.”
Coy's legal team tried unsuccessfully to have the case moved out
of Columbus, citing heavy publicity. A message was left for
Collins, the defense lawyer, ahead of the trial.
Hill, a father and grandfather, was remembered for his devotion
to family and as a skilled chef and restaurant manager who
dreamed of owning his own eatery.
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