Ex-officer who mistook a Black man’s keys and phone for a gun gets 15 years to life for murder

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio police officer convicted of murder in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed, was given a mandatory sentence Monday of 15 years to life.

Former Columbus officer Adam Coy shot Hill four times in a garage in December 2020, as the country reckoned with a series of police killings of Black men, women and children. He told jurors that he feared for his life because he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver.

Coy, who is being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma, told the court Monday he plans to appeal the verdict.

“I feel my actions were justified,” Coy said. “I reacted the same way I had in hundreds of training scenarios. I drew and fired my weapon to stop a threat, protect myself and my partner.”

Prosecutors said Hill followed police commands and was never a threat to Coy.

In victim impact statements Monday, Hill’s sisters and ex-wife described the 47-year-old as a gentle man who had never met a stranger. His grandchildren called him “Big Daddy.”

Police body camera footage showed Hill coming out of 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. Almost 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene rendered aid.

Coy, who was fired afterward, had a lengthy history of citizen complaints, although most were declared unfounded. Weeks later, the mayor forced out the police chief after a series of fatal police shootings of Black people.

Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, and the city passed a law requiring police to give immediate medical attention to injured suspects.

The local Fraternal Order of Police chapter said it would continue to support Coy, for both his sake and that of every officer who “acts in good faith” under department protocols.

“While this incident was a heart-rending mistake, it wasn’t murder,” said Brian Steel, president of FOP Capital City Lodge 9.