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topicnews · October 24, 2024

The murder trial begins with the fatal shooting of Andre Hill by Columbus police

The murder trial begins with the fatal shooting of Andre Hill by Columbus police

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Nearly four years after a Columbus police officer fatally shot an unarmed black man in a Northwest Side garage, a jury is expected to hear opening statements in the case Thursday morning.

Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy, 47, is on trial for murder, aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter in the Dec. 22, 2020, shooting death of 47-year-old Andre Hill.

A special pool of about 125 jurors filled out questionnaires Friday about their approach to the facts in the case and their views on police. Based on the answers in the questionnaire, individual questioning of potential jurors began on Monday. There were about 60 jurors remaining on Tuesday afternoon, which was further narrowed to 12 jurors and four alternates on Wednesday afternoon.

The jury, made up of nine women and seven men, visited the scene of the shooting at a home on Oberlin Drive on Wednesday afternoon.

What happened when Andre Hill was shot?

Body camera footage showed the shooting, which occurred early in the morning after police responded to a non-emergency noise complaint from a neighbor about a car driving back and forth in the street. Although Coy and a female officer who arrived and accompanied him to the house did not have their body cameras on at the time of the shooting, video was captured without sound through a 60-second lookback feature with the body cameras used by police at the time.

Coy had previously stated through his attorneys that he believed the key ring in Hill’s right hand was a revolver.

Footage from Coy’s body camera, which he turned on after the shooting, as well as other officers’ cameras, showed Hill did not receive medical attention for more than 10 minutes after his fatal injury.

Coy was fired from the Columbus Division of Police less than a week after the shooting. His personnel records show that more than 90 citizen complaints were filed against him during his 19 years with the Columbus Police Department.

Coy’s trial was postponed indefinitely while the former Columbus police officer underwent cancer treatment. His health is now considered good enough to undergo a trial that is expected to last two to three weeks.

Hill’s family sought compensation from police in Coy and Columbus. The city agreed to pay Hill’s family $10 million as a result of Hill’s death.

As part of the city’s agreement with Hill’s family, the gym at the Brentnell Community Center, located at 1280 Brentnell Ave., was renamed in Hill’s honor.

The jury looks toward the home where Hill was fatally shot

On a windy and partly cloudy Wednesday afternoon, jurors toured the home in the 1000 block of Oberlin Drive where Hill was shot. The jury was transported in a small white bus along with Common Pleas Judge Stephen McIntosh, who is hearing the case. Anthony Pierson, chief deputy attorney for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, defense attorney Mark Collins and a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy were also in tow.

As the bus pulled onto Oberlin Drive, a makeshift memorial to Hill could be seen on the tree lawn in front of the house with heart and star balloons and a sign reading “#JusticeforAndreHill,” “Life Is Grand” and “All Lives Matter” next to it , where Hill was fatally shot.

At Judge McIntosh’s direction, Pierson and Collins removed the monument before the jury got off the bus so as not to prejudice the jury. The memorial was placed in the grass across the street, near where reporters were watching. After the jury viewed the scene, the monument was returned to its original location.

After the monument was removed, jurors got off the bus and were taken behind the house that was next to the scene of the shooting. The reason was not explained.

The jury, judge and attorneys then walked to the sidewalk in front of the house where Hill was fatally shot by Coy. They were standing at the end of the driveway that led to the front of the house and the garage where the shooting occurred.

After touring the site for about 15 minutes, the jury got back on the bus and left the scene.

bbruner@gannett.com

smighan@dispatch.com

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