A Columbus Ohio police officer fatally shot unarmed man seconds after encountering him

An Ohio police officer has been stripped of his badge and gun after killing an unarmed man, Andre Maurice Hill.

Andre Maurice Hill fatally shot by police

Columbus police officer Adam Coy killed Andre Maurice Hill, 47, after Hill walked toward him holding a cellphone in his left hand, authorities said. At that moment, Hill’s right hand was not visible, and Coy opened fire.

According to officials, Coy responded to a non‑emergency disturbance call from a neighbor. Because of that, the cruiser dash camera never activated.

This shooting became the latest deadly encounter in Columbus. Less than three weeks earlier, another Black man, Casey Goodson Jr., was shot and killed by a Franklin County deputy.

Although Coy failed to activate his body camera, an automatic “look back” feature captured the shooting without audio, city officials said. Immediately afterward, body camera footage showed a delay in officers giving first aid, according to the public safety department.

Police said officers arrived at 1:37 a.m. after a neighbor reported a man sitting in a vehicle and turning it on and off. When officers reached the home, they found an open garage door and a man inside.

In the body camera video, Hill walked toward Coy with a cellphone in his left hand. Because his right hand was not visible, Coy fired immediately. Hill died less than an hour later at a local hospital. Police said they recovered no weapon at the scene.

Hill was visiting someone at the home at the time, police said.

History of excessive force

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Coy has a long record of misconduct and excessive force.

Because of that history, several incidents stand out:

• In 2003, Coy received nine complaints, including four in one month.
• In 2012, the city paid $45,000 to a man Coy arrested for suspected drunken driving.
• A cruiser camera showed Coy “banging the driver’s head into the hood four times,” reports said.
• Officials ruled his actions “excessive” and suspended him for 160 hours.

Relieved of duty

Officials relieved Coy of duty and ordered him to surrender his gun and badge while the investigation continues. Under the union contract, he will still receive pay.

At this stage, the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the inquiry into Hill’s death, which is standard policy for shootings involving Columbus police.