Columbus officer who shot Andre Hill fired

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Columbus, Ohio, officer Adam Coy, who shot and killed 47-year-old Andre Hill, has been fired, the Columbus Police Division said Monday.

Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus Jr. said Coy was fired after a disciplinary hearing Monday morning.

"The information, evidence and representations made by Chief [Thomas] Quinlan as the investigator are, in my opinion, indisputable. His disciplinary recommendation is well-supported and appropriate," Pettus said. "The actions of Adam Coy do not live up to the oath of a Columbus police officer, or the standards we, and the community, demand of our officers."

An autopsy report released Monday by the Franklin County Coroner said Hill's preliminary cause of death was "multiple gunshot wounds." Hill's manner of death was declared a homicide.

Coy shot Hill, a Black man, within seconds of arriving at a noise disturbance call with another unnamed female officer, around 1:30 a.m Tuesday morning in the north Columbus neighborhood of Cranbrook. Hill was inside a garage and emerged unarmed but holding a cell phone, Coy's police bodycam showed.

Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force, did not turn on his body camera until after the shooting, but the camera's "look back" feature recorded the 60 seconds before the camera was activated.

Chief Quinlan sought Coy's termination because Coy didn't turn on his camera and because he did not render aid to Hill as the man lay dying. Coy also failed to use trained techniques to de-escalate the situation, police hearing officers said.

Coy was represented at the disciplinary hearing by members of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Coy, 44, had a history of complaints of excessive force during his time with the police division, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Quinlan called for Coy's termination last week and said he would skip department procedures meant to investigate officer-involved shootings.

"Like all of you, I witnessed his critical misconduct firsthand via his body-worn camera. I have seen everything I need to see to reach the conclusion that Officer Coy must be terminated, immediately," Quinlan said Thursday.

"When I became chief, I changed our core values to include accountability," Quinlan said Monday in a statement. "This is what accountability looks like. The evidence provided solid rationale for termination. Mr. Coy will now have to answer to the state investigators for the death of Andre Hill."

The case will proceed to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to determine whether criminal charges against Coy will be brought.

Along with the state police investigation, Ohio Attorney General David Yost and the state's criminal investigations unit is being assisted by the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI's Civil Rights Division.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he supported the decision to fire Coy.

"The actions of Adam Coy do not live up to the oath of a Columbus Police officer, " Ginther said in a statement. "The shooting of Andre Hill is a tragedy for all who loved him in addition to the community and our Division of Police."

On Dec. 4, Franklin County Sheriff's officers shot and killed 23-year-old Casey Goodson, a Black man who was entering his grandmother's home. Officers said Goodson, a furloughed truck driver, displayed a handgun.