A former Ohio police officer convicted in the shooting death of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed, was given a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life on Monday.
Former Columbus police 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.
"I knew at that point I made a mistake," Coy told jurors in October 2024. "I was horrified. It was the worst night of my life."
Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy / AP
He was found guilty of murder in November.
On Monday, Coy, who is undergoing cancer treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma, told the court that 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 on Monday, Hill's sisters and ex-wife described the 47-year-old as a gentle man who had never known 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.
"To watch my brother die, I mean, out there with no medical help, period, no kind of sympathy or empathy for him at all, and then to watch him get turned over and handcuffed is unbelievable," Hill's sister, Shawna Barnett, told "CBS Mornings" in a 2021 interview.
A protester holds a sign outside the Franklin County Common Pleas Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 5, 2021. STEPHEN ZENNER/AFP via Getty Images
Coy, who served 20 years with the Columbus Police Department and was fired after the shooting, 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.
Nado1311 on July 29th, 2025 at 01:20 UTC »
The judge said it, Andre Hill did exactly what the officer directed him to do. ‘Step out of the garage and put your hands up’ - and then shot him. Glad he will be serving time for his actions.
No-Appearance1145 on July 29th, 2025 at 00:39 UTC »
The fact that he said "That night was the worst night of my life. I knew at that point I messed up"
To then say "I think I did the right thing. I did as I was trained to do". They also didn't give him medical help for ten minutes.
I'm glad he's in jail. He has no remorse for this. He can't say "I messed up, but I did the right thing" when it's an unprovoked murder.
OH and he plans to appeal! Because he felt it was right to shoot an unarmed man who posed no threat! That he gave no medical attention to, also.
ScrewAttackThis on July 29th, 2025 at 00:03 UTC »
Except for the fact that there was no threat to begin with. Being a chicken shit is not justification for lethal force, ffs.
For anyone that doesn't remember the details on this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Andre_Hill
Guy was just walking out of his friends house before a cop unloaded on him. Then all the cops let him bleed out on the ground for 10 minutes. There wasn't even an emergency or crime the cops were responding to. Just some busybody reporting a car starting.