COLUMBUS, Ohio — After several delays, former Columbus Division of Police officer Adam Coy is now on trial for the death of Andre Hill.
Here’s background on the shooting and what took place in the months and years to follow:
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 in the area.
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.
The autopsy report from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office showed Hill was shot four times.
Coy was fired from the police department on Dec. 28, 2020.
Police chief forced out
Weeks after the shooting, Mayor Andrew Ginther forced out then-Police Chief Thomas Quinlan amid a series of high-profile fatal police shootings of Black men and children.
“It became clear to me that Chief Quinlan could not successfully implement the reform and change I expect and that the community demands,” Ginther said in a statement after the incident. “Columbus residents have lost faith in him and in the Division’s ability to change on its own.”
Andre's Law
Just over a month after the shooting, Columbus City Council voted to pass "Andre's Law," which is legislation that requires the activation of body-worn cameras during any enforcement action outlined in the directives of the Columbus Division of Police.
The legislation also requires Columbus police officers to request aid from emergency medical services if the use of force results in serious harm as well as rendering aid under certain circumstances.
Settlement reached
Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement in May 2021 with Hill’s family, the largest in city history. In addition to the settlement, the city renamed the Brentnell Community Center in Columbus after Hill with its new name being “Andre’ Hill Gymnasium.”
Trial delayed
Coy’s trial was initially set for 2022 but his attorney filed a request in August 2021 to move the trial out of Columbus. The attorney argued that extensive local and national publicity would make it impossible to seat an impartial jury.
The judge denied the request, stating that a fair trial locally was possible. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson also opposed the request, saying that a change of location “would unnecessarily consume resources and time.”
Coy’s trial was then postponed indefinitely so the former police officer could receive chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In December 2023, Coy's October 2024 trial date was set.
Jury selection began Monday and the trial is expected to last several weeks.