White former Ohio police officer charged with murder in Andre Hill filming testified Monday that he fired four times after spotting what he thought was a silver revolver in the black man’s hand as Hill emerged from a dark garage.
Former Columbus officer Adam Coy said he drove over Hill’s body, saw a pile of keys and realized there was no weapon.
“I knew at that moment I had made a mistake,” Coy told jurors while fighting back tears. “I was horrified. It was the worst night of my life.”
Coy, who served nearly 20 years on the Columbus police force and was fired after the shooting four years ago, said he thought he was going to die when he mistook the keys for a gun .
Police body camera footage showed Hill walking out of the garage of a friend’s house holding a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before Coy shot him. About 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene began assisting Hill, who was bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor fired 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 familythe largest in the city’s history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to provide immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.
WBNS
Prosecutors said Hill followed the officer’s orders and never posed a threat to Coy, who is also charged with reckless homicide and felonious assault and could face life in prison if he is found guilty of murder.
Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a resident’s complaint about someone in a moving vehicle when he first encountered Hill sitting in an SUV. Hill told Coy he was waiting for a friend to come outside.
The officer said he thought Hill seemed dismissive at first, then suspicious after walking up to a house and knocking on the door before entering the garage.
Prosecutors asked Coy why he didn’t ask Hill his name or call for backup if he was so worried, CBS affiliate WBNS-TV reported. Coy said Hill only partially obeyed his commands and hid his right hand.
“I thought he was going to draw. I drew my gun and fired four shots,” Coy said.
According to WBNS-TV, prosecutors asked Coy if Hill was obeying his orders, and Coy responded, “Part of it was by hiding.” He had his right hand behind his leg. »
Coy was questioned about whether he asked Hill to show his hands, the station reported.
Coy said, “It happened too quickly, sir.
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Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected he was trying to break into the house. Coy used a flashlight to spot Hill in the garage and told him to come out and show himself, the officer testified.
When Hill walked toward him, Coy said he initially couldn’t see the man’s right hand, then he saw what he thought was a gun. He said he shouted, “Gun! Gun!” then shot Hill.
Family and friends said Hill — a father and grandfather — was devoted to his family and was a skilled craftsman who dreamed, after years of working as a chef and restaurant manager, of one day owning his own restaurant.
Coy had a long 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 complaints involved use of force. All but a few were marked “unsubstantiated” or “unsubstantiated.”
