The former Ohio police officer indicted for Andre Hill’s shooting death pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
Adam Coy, who was fired from the Columbus Police Division in December, entered the indictment on Friday, according to the records of the Franklin County Court. A judge set his bail at $ 3 million and ordered him not to have contact with witnesses in the case and other police officers.
His lawyer, Mark Collins, was not immediately found on Saturday.
A grand jury in Ohio charged Coy on Wednesday with murder for committing a crime, criminal assault and two counts of abandoning duty. He was arrested the same day and remains in custody until Saturday afternoon.
Hill, a 47-year-old black man, was shot dead on December 22 after two police officers responded to a call that a person in a vehicle was starting and stopping the engine.
Police officers only turned on the body cameras immediately after the shooting. But an automatic “look back” feature on the device was able to capture 60 seconds of video – without the audio – before the camera was finally turned on.
The clip showed Coy using the flashlight as he and the other policeman went up the entrance to a house. Hill was a guest of the homeowner and was standing in the garage.
It showed Hill walking towards the police while holding his cell phone when Coy fired his gun. Hill was shot four times, according to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
The footage from the body’s camera showed that none of the officers provided Hill with help or medical assistance while he was lying on the floor for several minutes.
Collins said there were other interactions between his client and Hill, and the video from the body camera shows only a fraction of what happened. He said Coy thought Hill had a gun, but no guns were found at the scene.
“When he saw the right hand coming towards him, he thought it was a silver revolver,” said Collins earlier.
The prosecutor said that the Supreme Court’s decisions provide for defenses for police officers in this type of shooting.
“A police officer can be wrong about the threat, and that is justified if that error is an honest and reasonable belief,” said Collins.
The shooting generated outrage and Coy was fired from the police department. Columbus police chief Thomas Quinlan recommended Coy’s dismissal because he failed to activate the body camera before the shooting and because he failed to provide medical assistance.
