Author: Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former Ohio police officer was convicted of murder by a jury on Monday for the fatal shooting of Andre Hill, an unarmed black man.

Adam Coy, a white man and nearly 20-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department, killed Hill, 47, in response to a nuisance call unrelated to a vehicle noise emergency in December 2020.

The jury in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas case deliberated for approximately two and a half days.

Footage from Coy’s body-worn camera showed Hill emerging from the shadows of the garage, holding a glowing cellphone in his hand, before Coy opened fire. Hill died a short time later in hospital.

©Reuters. A protester lights a candle outside the home where Andre Maurice Hill, 47, was killed in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., December 24, 2020. On December 22, 2020, Officer Adam Coy fatally shot Andre Maurice Hill after responding to a non-emergency disturbance call from neighbor. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger

2020 saw nationwide anti-racism protests against police brutality, peaking after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes in Minneapolis.

Coy, who is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 25, told the jury he believed Hill was holding a revolver.

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