COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge decided the former Columbus police officer who shot and killed Andre’ Hill will stand trial next spring.
Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh set Adam Coy’s trial for March 7 on Monday.
Coy fatally shot Hill on Dec. 22, 2020, as Hill emerged from a garage on Oberlin Drive holding a cellphone. Coy and another officer were responding to a non-emergency call on the report of a suspicious vehicle on Oberlin Drive.
Though neither officer turned on their body-worn cameras, a 60-second rollback with no audio captured Coy approaching the open garage with Hill inside. Authorities later said Hill was at the home visiting a friend.
Hill appeared from around a vehicle with the cellphone in his left hand. His right hand was not visible. Seconds later, Coy removed his gun and fired it at Hill.
Coy was fired on Dec. 28 and later charged with murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He was initially charged with dereliction of duty for not activating his body camera, but those charges were dropped.
In August, McIntosh denied a request by Coy’s attorney Mark Collins to move the trial out of Columbus.
Collins argued that extensive local and national publicity, including news coverage and billboards around the city, would make it impossible to seat an impartial jury.
Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson said the change of location “would unnecessarily consume resources and time.” McIntosh sided with prosecutors.
In May, the city reached a $10 million settlement, the largest in Columbus history, with Hill’s family.