### Trial Begins for Former Columbus Officer in the Shooting of Andre Hill

The trial of former Columbus police officer Adam Coy resumed, almost four years after the December 22, 2020, shooting death of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man. Adam Coy, 47, faces charges of murder, felonious assault, and reckless homicide. The trial opened with attorneys presenting their cases to a jury selected earlier this week.

During the prosecution's opening statement, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Renee Amlin revealed new details, noting that Hill, 47, had interactions with Coy prior to the fatal shooting. Hill had parked his boss’ vehicle near the garage where he was shot, intermittently turning it on and off to stay warm. This activity led a concerned neighbor, Robert Roenker, to call the police.

Amlin described the sequence of events that led to the shooting, stating that Hill complied with Coy's orders to come out of the garage while holding a cellphone in his left hand. Coy, seeing Hill's right hand not visible, fired four shots, mistakenly believing Hill was armed.

The defense, led by attorney Kaitlyn Stephens, argued that Coy’s actions were reasonable given the circumstances. Stephens depicted Hill as appearing suspicious and jittery when first approached by Coy. Coy had observed Hill walking between the SUV and the house, at one point rummaging through the vehicle. Coy and another officer lost sight of Hill briefly but perceived a key ring Hill held as a potential weapon, prompting Coy to shoot.

On Wednesday, jurors visited the scene on Oberlin Drive where they were directed to view the location without any influence from a memorial set up for Hill. The makeshift memorial featuring heart and star balloons and signs with messages like "#JusticeforAndreHill" was temporarily moved across the street to avoid biasing the jury.

Per evidence from body cam footage with no audio, the tragic incident was captured even though Coy and his colleague did not have their cameras turned on initially. Post-shooting, it showed Hill received no medical aid for more than ten minutes after being shot, which has been a critical point in the case against Coy.

The trial is expected to last two to three weeks, extended by delays due to Coy undergoing cancer treatment. The city of Columbus previously settled with Hill's family for $10 million in damages stemming from the incident.