A white former police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a Black man in Columbus, Ohio, four years ago testified in his murder trial that he believed the man had a gun and “was coming right at me.”
“I thought I was going to die,” Adam Coy, 48, said in telling the court that he thought Andre Hill, 47, was holding a revolver in his right hand when Coy confronted him in the garage of a house he believed was being burglarized. The gun turned out to be a set of keys.
Adam Coy, who was fired by the Columbus Police Department shortly after the shooting, faces life in prison if convicted of murder and reckless homicide charges.
Coy said he responded to a call about a vehicle being turned on and off outside of a home on Dec. 22, 2020. Initially, he thought it may have been a homeless person trying to stay warm, but he approached Hill, who was sitting inside a silver SUV.
Coy said Hill displayed his cellphone and said: “I’m waiting for someone to come out. They’re going to be out in a second."
Coy said he was obligated to investigate and then wished Hill a good night.
He returned to his police vehicle, leaving the door open, before running Hill’s license plate, which didn’t register to anyone on the street, Coy told defense attorney Mark Collins.
“The fact that the car didn’t belong in the area made me think a little more about who he was picking up,” Coy told the court.
Moments later, Coy said Hill walked up a driveway and loudly banged on the home’s front door, but nobody answered and no lights were visible.
“What’s going on?” Coy, still by his car, asked Hill, without receiving a response. “He was distancing himself from me and looking over his shoulder to see where I’m standing.”
Coy said Hill then went digging through his truck, before again walking back to the house and entering the dark garage.
The former officer testified he had reasonable suspicion of a burglary or theft taking place because similar crimes spike during the holiday season.
When a fellow officer, Amy Detweiler, arrived, Coy wanted to question Hill further and contact the homeowners. Using a flashlight, he walked toward the home.
“My intention was to go toward the back of the house,” Coy testified, but he changed his mind when he saw a light flicker in the garage.
Coy said he ordered Hill to show himself.
Hill walked out, holding a lit cellphone in his left hand, but his body was turned and Coy couldn’t see his right side.
Thinking the phone was a distraction, Coy thought he saw Hill holding a revolver with his left hand and fired four shots.
After turning his body over, he found a pair of keys.
“I said, ‘f---,’ I knew at that point that I had made a mistake,” Coy testified.
Prosecutor Anthony Pierson countered during cross-examination that Coy could have asked for identification, spoken with the homeowners or checked whether Hill had warrants to find out if he was dangerous.
“The fact was you shot an unarmed man and then came up with this story later to cover yourself,” Pierson said.
Coy, wearing a dark suit and glasses, was visibly shaken during his testimony, his voice cracking as he spoke about the shooting.
“Everything just went as a blur to me, and I knew I had just been involved in an officer-involved shooting,” he said.
Monday began the second week of the trial, which faced several delays as Coy was treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
During jury selection, more than 100 people answered more than 90 questions on their opinions about social movements such as Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter, and what news coverage they’ve consumed related to Hill’s death.
Judge Stephen McIntosh is overseeing the trial, which is expected to last two weeks.
The city of Columbus reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family in May 2021.