Former Ohio officer who shot and killed Andre Hill testifies he mistook keys for a gun: ‘I was shocked’

A white former ohio police officer charged with murder in the recordings by Andre Hill testified Monday that he shot four times after seeing a silver revolver in the black man’s hand as Hill emerged from a dark garage.

Former Columbus officer Adam Coy said he rolled over Hill’s body, saw a pile of keys and realized there was no gun.

“I knew in that moment that I had made a mistake,” Coy told jurors as he fought back tears. “I was shocked. It was the worst night of my life.”

Coy, who served on the Columbus Police Department for nearly two decades and was fired after the shooting four years ago, testified that he thought he was going to die when he mistook the keys for a gun.

Police body camera footage showed Hill emerging from the garage of a friend’s home with a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before Coy fatally shot him. About 10 minutes passed before officers arrived on the scene to help Hill, who lay bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor forced the police chief to resign amid a series of high-profile fatal police shootings of Black men and children. Columbus later reached one $10 million settlement with Hill’s familythe largest in the city’s history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to provide immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.

Prosecutors have said Hill complied with the officer’s orders and never posed a threat to Coy, who is also charged with reckless homicide and felonious assault and could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder.

Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a resident’s complaint about someone in a moving vehicle when he first encountered Hill while sitting in an SUV. Hill told Coy he was waiting for a friend to come out.

The officer said he thought Hill at first seemed dismissive and then seemed suspicious after he walked up to a house and knocked on the door before entering the garage.

Prosecutors asked Coy why he didn’t ask Hill for his name or call for backup if he was so concerned, CBS affiliate WBNS-TV reported. Coy said Hill only partially followed his orders and hid his right hand.

‘I thought he was going to sign. I pulled out my gun and fired four shots,” Coy said.

According to WBNS-TV, prosecutors asked Coy if Hill was following his orders, and Coy responded, “Partially, by hiding himself. He had his right hand behind his leg.”

Coy was asked if he asked Hill to show his hands, the station reported.

Coy said, “It happened too fast, sir.”

Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected he might be trying to break into the house. Coy used a flashlight to spot Hill in the garage and told him to come out and show himself, the officer testified.

When Hill walked toward him, Coy said he initially couldn’t see the man’s right hand and then saw what he thought was a revolver. He said he shouted, “Gun! Gun!’ and then shot Hill.

Family and friends said Hill – a father and grandfather – was devoted to his family and was a skilled craftsman who, after years of working as a chef and restaurant manager, dreamed of one day owning his own restaurant.

Coy had a long history of complaints from residents, with more than three dozen complaints against him since he joined the department in 2002, his personnel file shows. About ten of the complaints concerned the use of violence. All but a few were deemed “unfounded” or “unsupported.”