On Monday, November 4, a jury found former police officer Adam Coy guilty of murder in the death of Andre Hill, an unarmed 47-year-old Black man shot four times after being instructed to come out of a dimly lit garage while holding a cellphone and a large set of keys.
The jury in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas reached its decision after two-and-a-half days of deliberations.
Who Is Adam Coy?
During the trial, Coy testified emotionally on October 28, 2024, that he feared for his life, mistakenly believing that Hill was pointing a silver revolver at him during the December 22, 2020, incident. It was later revealed that Hill was holding a set of silver keys.
“I thought I was going to die,” Coy, a former Columbus police officer, said during his testimony. Coy was convicted of murder, felonious assault, and reckless homicide. He could face a life sentence without parole, with sentencing set for November 25.
Shortly after the jury delivered the verdict, Judge Stephen L. McIntosh revoked Coy’s $1 million bond, and he was taken into custody by court officers.
Coy, who was dismissed from the Columbus Police Department about a week after the incident, was arrested and indicted in January 2021.
What Really Happened?
Although Coy did not initially activate his body camera, its automatic “look-back” function recorded 60 seconds of the event without audio, capturing the shooting itself. The jury viewed this footage, which also revealed that officers at the scene did not administer immediate first aid as Hill lay wounded. A woman emerged from the house, telling officers that Hill was her guest and that he “was bringing me Christmas money. He didn’t do anything.”
Closing arguments concluded on Wednesday, with Franklin County prosecutor Anthony Pierson asserting that Coy’s use of deadly force was unjustified according to police training and national standards. “This case isn’t about someone resisting arrest… It’s about a man who was following police orders and was killed for it,” Pierson stated.
Coy’s defense attorney, Mark Collins, argued that prosecutors had failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, calling the portrayal of Coy’s actions “perverse” and “desperate.” He dismissed the notion that Coy fabricated his self-defense claim after the fact.
In 2021, the City of Columbus settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Hill’s family for $10 million, the city’s highest-ever settlement. Coy’s indictment came shortly after the Columbus City Council passed “Andre’s Law,” mandating that officers activate body cameras when responding to calls and provide immediate first aid after using force.
