A former Columbus police officer has been arrested and indicted on a murder charge for fatally shooting an unarmed Black man in December. 

Adam Coy, who was fired from the Columbus Police Division after body camera footage showed that he shot and killed 47-year-old Andre Hill within seconds of responding at the scene of a non-emergency disturbance call on Dec. 22 on the Northwest Side, faces an additional three counts from a Franklin County grand jury. 

Those charges are felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty — one for failing to turn on his body camera when he responded to the scene, and another for failing to inform his fellow officer that he felt Hill presented a danger.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who announced the indictment during a virtual news conference Wednesday evening, said he believes the evidence in the case supports the indictment. 

“(Police) undertake the increasingly difficult and dangerous task of protecting our communities, but every person is responsible for and judged by his or her own actions," Yost said. "Neither guilt nor virtue may be assumed by association. 

“The grand jury found the truth: Andre Hill should not be dead.” 

Coy and another officer were responding to a nonemergency disturbance call over a vehicle running on and off when they encountered Hill at the entrance to the garage of a home on Oberlin Drive where he was an invited guest. As Hill was holding up a cellphone, Coy – who later said he mistook it for a gun – fired. 

Neither of the two officers turned on their body cameras until after the shooting, leaving 60 seconds of video-only footage due to a playback feature.

Hill’s death drew public outrage not only because it was yet another incident of police shooting and killing an unarmed Black man following a summer of racial justice protests against police use of force, but also because Hill was left dying on the ground without police administering medical assistance for  several minutes. 

Police, however, did handcuff the bleeding Hill.

Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Hill’s family, said earlier this week that an autopsy commissioned by the family determined that had officers immediately rendered first aid after the shooting, Hill may have survived. 

The case fell under the jurisdiction of the Franklin County Prosecutor's office, which requested that Yost's office serve as special prosecutor.

Michael Wright, an attorney representing the Hill family, told the Dispatch Wednesday evening that the family is thankful to Yost’s office for taking the case seriously and securing a grand jury indictment.  

“We’re happy that this has occurred, but this is a first step. We want the officer to be convicted, we want him to be incarcerated,” Wright said. “The family is happy and they’re cautiously optimistic that officer Coy will have to pay the price and be convicted for the killing of Andre Hill.” 

In a written statement, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther praised the grand jury's decision.

“The community was outraged by the killing of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, by law enforcement," Ginther said. "The indictment does not lessen the pain of his tragic death for Mr. Hill’s loved ones, but it is a step towards justice. I thank the grand jury for their service.”

Coy surrendered himself to law enforcement through his attorney, Mark Collins, on Wednesday afternoon. He is being held in the Franklin County jail pending a bond hearing Friday morning.

Collins said his client was not surprised by the indictment. 

But Collins said he was surprised that the jury would indict on a charge of felonious assault when Hill died. 

"In my 27 years of practicing law, I've never seen a felonious assault charge for a person who has passed away," Collins said.  

Andre Hill: Columbus council passes Andre's Law requiring body camera use and rendering medical aid

Collins also said he was surprised by the felony murder charge because a prosecutor has to prove to a jury that Coy "knowingly" shot and killed Hill. 

Coy, in a more than two-hour interview with BCI investigators and in a written statement, said he believed a silver key ring in Hill's hand was a silver revolver, Collins said.  

"The Supreme Court has said the officers are allowed to make mistakes, if the mistake is reasonable through the lens of a reasonable police officer," Collins said. "Adam Coy was mistaken. He thought the keys were a revolver and he reacted based on his training." 

The dereliction of duty charges Coy faces were also a surprise to Collins, particularly the second count. Yost said Wednesday evening the second count pertains to Coy not warning his fellow officers of a possible danger. Amy Detweiler, the female officer who responded with Coy to the Oberlin Drive call, said in a statement to investigators that Coy yelled, "He has a gun" prior to the shots being fired. 

Dispatch reporter Bethany Bruner contributed to this story.

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta