Less than two months after former Columbus police officer Adam Coy was fired for fatally shooting an unarmed Black man, he was indicted Wednesday on murder charges.
Coy, who is white, was “relieved of duty” in December after it was discovered he did not turn on his body camera during his encounter with 47-year-old Andre Hill, theGRIO reported. The shooting occurred on Dec. 22 at 1:37 a.m., when Coy and another officer responded to a neighbor’s non-emergency call about a car in front of his house in the city’s northwest side that had been running, then shut off, then turned back on.
Read More: Ohio police officer fired in fatal shooting of Andre Hill
Police bodycam footage showed Hill emerging from a garage and holding up a cellphone in his left hand seconds before he was fatally shot by Coy. There is no audio because the officer failed to activate the body camera; an automatic “look back” feature captured the shooting without audio. Coy did not turn on his body-cam until after he fired shots at Hill.
Officer Amy Detweiler also responded to the call that fateful day and told investigators she heard Coy scream that Hill had a gun, although she did not see the victim holding a weapon. Detweiler reportedly noted that she did not perceive Hill to be a threat.
“We have an officer who violated his oath to comply with the rules and policies of the Columbus Division of Police,” Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said at the time.. “And the consequences of that violation are so great, it requires immediate action. This violation cost an innocent man his life.”
Coy has been charged with one count of murder, one count of felonious assault and two counts of dereliction duty, per wsoctv.com.
“In this case, the citizens of Franklin County, represented by the individual grand jurors, found probable cause to believe that Mr. Coy committed a crime when he killed Andre Hill by gunfire,” Attorney General Dave Yost said at a news conference Wednesday night.
Read More: Ohio police chief forced out in wake of Andre Hill killing
He added, “Truth is the best friend of justice, and the grand jury here found the truth.”
Hill’s family is reportedly satisfied with the indictment, according to their attorney Michael Wright.
“It’s important to start holding these officers accountable for their bad actions and their bad acts,” Wright said. “I think it will go a long way for one, the public to trust law enforcement, for two, to potentially change the behavior of officers and their interaction with individuals that shouldn’t be killed or should not endure excessive force.”
Coy’s bail hearing will be held Thursday.
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