Ohio police chief recommends firing of cop who fatally shot Andre Hill

Officer Adam Coy shot the weaponless Hill less than 10 seconds after arriving on the scene for a noise complaint.

Dec 25, 2020

The chief of the Columbus Police Department has recommended that Officer Adam Coy, who shot and killed an unarmed Andre Maurice Hill early Tuesday morning, be fired.

A neighbor had filed a noise complaint alleging Hill was turning an SUV on and off in the garage of a friend’s home early Tuesday morning. Arriving with a partner, Coy shot Hill, 47, less than 10 seconds after encountering him.

This screen shot from the audioless body camera of Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy shows the moment before he shot a weaponless Andre Hill in the garage of home where he was guest early Tuesday morning.

The officer, a 19-year veteran, failed to activate his body camera during the interaction.

Chief Thomas Quinlan released a video statement on Christmas Eve asserting that Coy will have two critical misconduct charges filed against him, charges that are not criminal, but will apply to Coy’s employment record. The officer’s actions are currently under investigation by the Franklin County District Attorney’s office.

“Like all of you, I witnessed his critical misconduct firsthand via his body-worn camera,” said Quinlan. “I have seen everything I need to see to reach the conclusion that Officer Coy must be terminated immediately.”

Ned Pettus Jr., the director of Ohio’s department of public safety, will have the final say in whether or not Coy will be fired.

“Some may call this a rush to judgment. It is not,” Quinlan said. “We have an officer who violated his oath to comply with the rules and policies of the Columbus Division of Police. And the consequences of that violation are so great, it requires immediate action. This violation cost an innocent man his life.”

A special prosecutor has been appointed in the case by outgoing Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, a Republican who lost reelection in November to a Democratic challenger, Gary Tyack.

A feature of Coy’s body camera activated automatically and captured him firing at Hill almost immediately after the man walked toward the two officers with a cellphone in his hand. It also shows them providing no medical assistance to Hill as he lay dying in the driveway.

In his statement, Columbus’ police chief also expressed his condolences to the slain man’s kin.

“I cannot fathom the pain Andre Hill’s family is feeling right now,” said Quinlan. “He was taken from them by violence. Preventable violence. Senseless violence. This didn’t have to happen, and it never should have.”

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