Ex-officer on trial in shooting death of Andre Hill thought his life was in danger, attorney says

A white former Ohio police officer mistakenly shot and killed Andre Hill as the Black man was emerging from a garage nearly four years ago because he saw a flash of light from keys in Hill’s hand and thought he was about to be shot, the officer’s attorney said Thursday during opening statements of his trial.

Officer Adam Coy, who served nearly 20 years with the Columbus police force, is charged with murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in connection with the shooting and could face up to life in prison if convicted. Coy, who was fired after the December 2020 shooting, has pleaded not guilty.

Hill, 47, was not holding a gun or armed but instead had a cellphone in one hand and keys in another, investigators found.

“That there was no weapon does not matter,” defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens told jurors. “Police officers are allowed to be mistaken.”

Coy believed Hill was pointing a revolver at him and did what he was trained to do, Stephens said.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Renee Amlin said Hill had followed the officer's commands and was never a threat to Coy.

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. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to render immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.

Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a resident’s complaint about noise from a running vehicle when he first encountered Hill sitting in an SUV.

The officer thought Hill, who said he was waiting to meet a friend, seemed suspicious and was trying to hide something, Stephens said. Soon after, Hill walked to a house and knocked on the door before entering the garage.

Coy lost sight of Hill and suspected he might be trying to break into the house, the officer’s attorney said. Coy and another officer who had just arrived then confronted Hill in the garage.

Family and friends said Hill — a father and grandfather — was devoted to his family and was a skilled tradesman who dreamed after years of work as a chef and restaurant manager of one day owning his own restaurant.

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.”