Columbus Police “cannot defend” newly released images from the camera of the body of unarmed Ohio resident Andre Hill, which shows police officers delaying giving Hill medical aid after the shooting. The death of Hill, a 47-year-old black man at the hands of police officer Adam Coy, sparked national outrage.
“Andre Hill should be alive today,” said police chief Thomas Quinlan in a video on Thursday. “A Columbus police officer is responsible for his death. I cannot defend him, I cannot fix him, but I will do what is in my power.”
The images of the newly released body camera show the fatal shooting of Hill, who was a guest at the residence to which the police responded. At around 1:30 am, the video shows Hill in a garage, walking towards Coy with a cell phone in hand, the screen illuminated and visible. Within seconds, Coy fires his weapons and Hill falls while Coy continues to ask Hill to show his hands.
Coy did not have the body camera on when he got out of the vehicle and approached Hill, a clear violation of police policy. After filming, he turned it on, which activated a 60-second look back feature and recorded the footage without audio.
Although the footage corresponds to police reports of the shooting, it also shows that Hill did not receive medical help for at least 5 minutes after the shooting. The chief of police said the Columbus Police Department is also investigating whether any of the various officers at the scene followed the protocol.
Hill was transported to the hospital when medical help arrived, where he died of his injuries. A preliminary autopsy report released by the Franklin County coroner declared the cause of death to be homicide. No medical report said whether aid immediately after the shooting could have saved Hill’s life.
This news of further investigations comes after Coy’s resignation on the recommendation of the police chief. Coy was fired without being heard due to “the use of deadly force, the fact that he did not activate the body’s camera and the failure to assist Hill”.
Coy’s dismissal was deemed a “correct decision” by Benjamin Crump, the Hill family’s lawyer, who also called for a redefinition of the relationship between the police and communities of color. “The rampant police mentality of shooting first and asking questions later when it comes to a black person is indisputable evidence that black lives do not matter to many policemen,” said Crump.
“Adam Coy’s actions do not live up to the oath of a Columbus police officer, or the standards that we and the community demand from our officers,” said Columbus security director Ned Pettus Jr. in a statement last week.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, which took place just weeks after the December 4 shooting against Casey Goodson Jr., a 23-year-old Columbus resident.
The police chief cited the large number of images from the body’s camera and interviews to analyze the reason for the delayed ads, but said the police are working hard.
“As a police chief and just as a human being, the events of last week left me shaken and heartbroken by Andre Hill’s family,” said Quinlan. “You will have the answers you demand and deserve.”