The long-awaited trial of Adam Coy, a former Columbus police officer charged with the shooting death of Andre Hill, is slated to commence on Monday. Nearly four years have elapsed since the incident, in which Coy, responding to a non-emergency call, fatally shot Hill as he held a cell phone in his hand. According to WBNS, Coy is battling charges of murder, reckless homicide, and felonious assault; however, previous charges of dereliction of duty for not activating his body camera were dropped. The trial follows a period of delays, primarily owing to Coy's treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, as noted by The Columbus Dispatch.
On the night of Dec. 22, 2020, Coy and another officer were investigating a suspicious vehicle report when they approached Hill in a garage. The shooting was partially captured by a body camera rollback feature, although without audio, showing Hill with a cellphone in their left hand and his right hand not visibly armed. "Adam Coy was mistaken. He thought the keys were a revolver, and he reacted based on his training," Coy's attorney, Mark Collins, stated in an account by The Columbus Dispatch. The trial, expected to last two to three weeks, seeks closure to an event that has left enduring scars on the community and brought about significant changes in local police practice.
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, a settlement of $10 million, the largest in the city's history, was reached with Hill's family in May 2021. "we have not had any closure. We've not had any pieces picked up. We've not had any justice for Andre," Hill's sister, Shawna Barnett, expressed in a hearing, as reported by ABC6. The trial, set in Franklin County, is to be overseen by an affected public eager for resolution and accountability by law enforcement.
Prospective jurors are scheduled to fill out questionnaires before the formal selection process which will probe into their past encounters with law enforcement and exposure to media coverage of the case. Adam Coy, whose personnel records showed more than 90 citizen complaints during his tenure with Columbus police, is also expected to testify in his defense, as detailed by The Columbus Dispatch. Further, Columbus City Council has instituted "Andre's Law" in response to the killing, mandating officers to turn on body cameras during call responses and promptly provide medical assistance at scenes.
