Opening statements are set to begin in the murder trial of the former Columbus, Ohio, police officer who shot Andre Hill

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN

(CNN) – Opening statement in the murder trial of A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man nearly four years ago is scheduled to begin shooting Thursday.

Adam Coy was fired from the Columbus Division of Police after fatally shooting 47-year-old Andre Maurice Hill just seconds after the two men encountered each other on December 22, 2020. The shooting sparked outrage in the Ohio community.

The shooting occurred as Hill approached Coy holding a lighted cellphone in his left hand, body camera footage shows.

Coy did not turn on his body camera until after the shooting, and the camera's flashback feature recorded a minute of video with no sound before Coy turned it on. As a result, nothing of the conversation before or during filming can be heard in the footage.

A grand jury indicted Coy in February 2021 and he was charged with murder, aggravated assault and two counts of dereliction of duty – one due to Coy's failure to use his body camera and one “based on his failure to use his body camera.” to use”. Let his colleague know that he believes Andre Hill poses a danger,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Coy pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The city of Columbus agreed in May 2021 to pay a $10 million settlement to Hill's family, marking the largest amount the city has ever agreed to pay in such a case.

The trial, which began Monday with jury selection in Franklin County, Ohio, was postponed indefinitely in April 2023 while Coy underwent cancer treatment, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

The footage was captured using body camera footage

According to the Columbus Department of Public Safety, Columbus Police responded to a non-disturbance 911 call in the early morning hours of December 22, 2020.

Body camera footage captured using the flashback feature shows Hill walking toward Coy from an open garage, holding a lighted phone in his left hand. His right hand is not visible.

Coy then appears to quickly walk backwards, with his left hand holding a flashlight and his right hand holding a pointed firearm, body camera footage shows.

After Coy turns on his camera, he can be heard panting and shouting orders to Hill, who is lying distraught on the ground next to a parked car in the garage.

Body camera footage from Officer Amy Detweiler, who was at the scene during the shooting, shows Hill lying in handcuffs on the garage floor.

An unknown woman comes out of the house and tells the police: “He brought me Christmas money!” He didn’t do anything.”

Detweiler said she heard Coy say he saw a gun and that Coy yelled, “There's a gun in his other hand, there's a gun in his other hand!” according to a Columbus police chief report.

Hill died later that morning at a hospital. No weapon was found at the crime scene.

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Hill's family, said Hill was visiting a family friend at the time of the shooting and was left fighting for life for “five minutes and 11 seconds.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said after the 2020 shooting that he was “appalled by the time that passed before an officer rendered aid to Hill.”

“Our officers are trained to provide potentially life-saving care and at least comfort in these situations,” Ginther said.

In February 2021, Hill's family expressed gratitude for the grand jury indictment, but added that they wanted Coy to be convicted on all counts.

“We don't want (Coy) to be charged and released as has been the case in the past cases – and has been many times,” said Shawna Barnett, Hill's sister. “We want him locked up.”

Hill's death came three weeks after a legally armed black man, Casey Goodson Jr., was shot and killed in Columbus by a Franklin County sheriff's deputy.

Both fatal shootings followed the outcry and protests earlier this year sparked by the death of George Floyd when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground for several minutes in May 2020.

CNN's Laurie Ure, Jennifer Henderson, Sonia Moghe, Holly Yan, Melissa Alonso, Peter Nickeas, Madeline Holcombe, Amir Vera, Rebekah Riess, Ray Sanchez, Steve Forrest, Kristina Sgueglia and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.

The CNN Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery company. All rights reserved.