Former Columbus officer found guilty of murder in fatal shooting of Andre Hill

Adam Coy has been convicted of murder, reckless homicide, and felonious assault in the death of Andre Hill.

Published: November 4, 2024 5:41pm

A former Columbus police officer on Monday was found guilty of murder for the fatal shooting of a black man named Andre Hill, who died after the white officer mistakenly believed he was holding a gun instead of his keys and phone.

Former officer Adam Coy shot Hill four times in a garage in 2020. Police body cam footage showed Hill coming out of the garage of a friend's house holding up his phone in his left hand when he was shot, the Associated Press reported.

Coy, who now faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, said he thought Hill was holding a revolver in his right hand. The object turned out to be a set of keys.

“I thought I was going to die,” Coy testified. He also admitted he knew he made a mistake when he rolled Hill over and saw there was no gun. "I was horrified," he said.

Coy was investigating a complaint in the area that someone was sitting in a running vehicle. Hill, who was sitting in an SUV when the cop first found him, said he was waiting for a friend. Hill later got out of the vehicle and went up to the friend's door. The former officer said he then lost sight of Hill, but was concerned he was trying to break into the house.

The former cop said when he spotted Hill again with his flashlight, he told him to come out, which he did with his left hand raised. Coy said could not see Hill's right hand, but then saw what he thought was a silver revolver.

Prosecutors said Hill had followed Coy's directions, and was lying wounded for almost 10 minutes before aid was provided.

“We’re taught, ‘Do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive that encounter,’” Franklin County assistant prosecutor Anthony Pierson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what happened here.”

The jury convicted Coy of murder, reckless homicide, and felonious assault. He will be sentenced on Nov. 25. Coy's defense attorneys have vowed to appeal the verdict.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.