The 47-year-old unarmed black man killed by a Columbus officer on Tuesday remained on the ground for several minutes with no one providing assistance or medical assistance – a violation of police policy and procedures – camera footage of the body of the deadly encounter released on Wednesday show.
Andre Maurice Hill was a guest of the owner and had not committed any crime when two police officers approached the garage he was in at around 1:30 am
The video shows Columbus officer Adam Coy using his flashlight while walking through the garage. Hill then walks towards the officers while holding his cell phone when the officer fires his gun. Hill’s other hand could not be seen clearly.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday afternoon called for the resignation of Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force.
“He was an expected guest. He was not an intruder, ”said the mayor of Hill during a news conference. “It is simply an inexplicable loss. None of the officers initially present at the scene provided medical assistance, no compression on the wounds to stop the bleeding, no attempt at CPR, not even a hand on the shoulder or a word of encouragement that doctors were on their way. It is the duty of the officer to provide assistance. “
Upon arrival, the two policemen also did not activate their body cameras until immediately after the shooting, which was another violation of police protocol, the mayor said. Due to a 60 second look back function, the footage was captured without audio.
As it was not an emergency call, the operating lights and sirens were not activated when the police arrived. As a result, the police car’s dashboard camera was also not activated anywhere in the meeting.
The Oberlin Drive shooting occurred nearly three weeks after the police fatally shot 23-year-old black man Casey Goodson when he entered his grandmother’s house. He was buried on Wednesday. The investigation into his death continues.
“It is enough. This community is exhausted. The African American community is scared, worried and indignant. This is an impressive disregard for life,” said Ginther.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating.
“It is problematic and we are outraged. These body cameras were paid for with taxpayer money, the expectation is that you turned them on. If you’re not connected, you need to go. I mean, why wouldn’t you put it on? “said Nana Watson, president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP.
Five years ago, the organization demanded that Columbus police officers use body cameras to bring changes to the police division, and it now appears that these recommendations are not being consistently followed.
“What is the punishment for not using it? That is what we also need to know. We will never know what happened because there is no audio with the tapes. This is too much for this community to endure. “
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) found the murder unacceptable.
“There are not enough words to express the pain and anger I feel about another black man being killed in our community at the hands of the police in less than a month. Although we don’t know all the facts, what I do know is that this is unacceptable, ”she wrote in a post on Twitter. “I am very concerned and question the police procedures, as well as the time and inconsistent use of body cameras. I am with the community in search of the truth and in the demand for justice. My condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends. “
The mayor added: “We give our officers great power … the power to stop, detain, question, arrest, use force and even take their lives. And with this power comes greater, including the use of cameras on the body and rendering aids ”, said the mayor.