A former Columbus police officer who killed a black man in December was arrested and charged with murder, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Wednesday.
Former officer Adam Coy, a 19-year-old veteran, was also charged with criminal assault and two counts of abandoning duty. He was fired several weeks after the shooting.
Mr. Coy shot Andre Hill, 47, after answering a call about a suspicious vehicle. When he and another officer arrived at the scene, Mr. Coy found Mr. Hill in a garage and opened fire in seconds. Mr. Hill, who was holding a cell phone, died in a hospital shortly afterwards.
Yost said his office served as a special prosecutor in the case, reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses and bringing charges to a grand jury. The grand jury indicted Coy, who was arrested on Wednesday.
“The vast virtue of law enforcement is diminished by the very few bad actors in its ranks, and only by blaming a bad actor can that virtue be maintained,” Yost told a news conference. “Here’s what I mean in plain English: same rules for everyone.”
The abandonment of the duty charges, Yost said, stems from the fact that Coy did not activate his body’s camera until after the shooting and did not tell the other officer at the scene who saw Hill as a threat.
The footage was captured on video, however, because the body camera Coy used was equipped with a feature that captures the 60 seconds immediately before the camera was turned on. The camera did not capture audio during the first minute, so no verbal exchange before the shooting was recorded.
Coy will appear at a bail hearing on Thursday.
“Truth is justice’s best friend, and the grand jury here found the truth,” said Yost. “Andre Hill shouldn’t be dead.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.