The state attorney prosecuting the December police killing of Andre Hill opposed the former officer’s request for the trial to be moved.
Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson filed a motion opposing ex-Columbus officer Adam Coy’s request for the trial be moved to another county in order to convene a fair and impartial jury.
Coy fatally shot Hill on Dec. 22, 2020, as Hill emerged from a garage on Oberlin Drive. Coy and another officer were responding to a non-emergency call on the report of a suspicious vehicle on Oberlin Drive.
Coy was fired on Dec. 28 and later charged with murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Coy’s attorney, Mark Collins, filed a motion in Franklin County earlier this month requesting a change of venue to ensure Coy receives a "fair trial before a jury untainted with pre-trial publicity."
Collins cites the extensive coverage of the shooting including local and national news, posts on social media and billboards in Columbus calling for justice for Hill.
Pierson, who was appointed special prosecutor by Attorney General Dave Yost, said the change of location “would unnecessarily consume resources and time.”
He added that while the state opposes the trial being moved, it will not object to modifying the jury selection process to ensure impartiality.
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 emerged from around a vehicle with a cell phone in his left hand. His right hand was not visible. Seconds later, Coy removed his gun and fired it at Hill.
Hill was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
Coy was initially charged with dereliction of duty for not activating his body camera, but those charges were dropped.
In May, Columbus reached a $10 million settlement with the family of Hill, the largest in the city’s history.
