COLUMBUS, Ohio — After multiple days of jury selection, opening statements were delivered and testimonies began in the murder trial of former Columbus police officer Adam Coy.
Coy is facing murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault charges in the December 2020 shooting death of Andre Hill. He pleaded not guilty.
Watch the opening statements from the prosecution and defense:
“We needed to make contact with the person inside to verify why he was there, he wasn't going inside the home for a potential crime, burglary. We need to make contact,” Columbus police officer Amy Detweiler said.
Detweiler responded moments after Coy on Oberlin Drive. Police responded because of a neighbor's noise complaint about a running SUV.
New details emerged during the first day of testimony as it was revealed that Coy and Hill spoke as Hill sat inside the SUV, moments before Coy shot Hill in the driveway.
“Andre Hill was inside that vehicle. Coy had a short conversation with Hill. Hill said he was waiting for someone. Hill showed Coy and said he was waiting for someone,” said Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Renee Amlin.
In opening statements, Amlin explained Coy tried to ask Hill what he was doing prior to the shooting.
“Adam decided to watch because he wanted to make sure this person was waiting for someone. Was the person going to come to the car, or was the person going to leave?” said defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens.
That's when they say Officer Detweiler arrived on Oberlin Drive.
Stephens said Coy was talking to the homeowner who called 911 and lost track of where Hill went.
“They begin to look for the person, what was going on. It was pitch black in the dead of winter. He has a duty to investigate what was going on. He said he thought maybe it was a burglary or something like that. He had reasonable suspicion,” Stephens argued.
Detweiler says they spotted Hill in the garage of the house.
“Coy gave him the commands to come out. There was a pause. He didn't sprint, he didn't come out right away. He paused, then turned towards me, raised his cell phone in his left hand,” Detweiler said.
Detweiler said she could not see Hill's right side in the darkness and with the way he stood.
“When he turned the corner of the car I heard 'gun, gun' then he took a shot,” Detweiler said.
Police body camera footage showed Hill emerging from the garage of a friend's house holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before he was fatally shot by Coy. About 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene began coming to the aid of Hill, who lay bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
In their opening statements, attorneys argued it is up to the jurors to decide whether Coy was justified in shooting Hill.
“The determination whether Officer Coy's use of force is reasonable is up to you. Andre Hill followed the commands of the officer and was not a threat and Coy's actions were not justified in shooting and killing Andre Hill,” Amlin said.
“It is more likely than not that Adam Coy believed he was about to be shot because he believed that person had a gun. The evidence will show that decision to use deadly force was reasonable because he acted in accordance with his training,” Stephens said.
More testimony is expected to begin at 9 a.m. on Friday.
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