The former Ohio police officer indicted in the shooting death of Andre Hill pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
Adam Coy, who was fired from the Columbus Division of Police in December, entered the plea on Friday, according to Franklin County Court records. A judge set his bond at $3 million and ordered that he have no contact with witnesses in the case and other police officers.
His attorney, Mark Collins, could not immediately be reached on Saturday.
An Ohio grand jury indicted Coy Wednesday on murder in the commission of a felony, felonious assault, and two counts of dereliction of duty. He was arrested that same day.
Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on Dec. 22 after two officers responded to a call that a person in a vehicle had been turning the engine on and off.
The officers failed to turn on their body cameras until immediately after the shooting. But an automatic “look back” feature on the device was able to capture 60 seconds of video — without the audio — before the camera was eventually turned on.
The clip showed Coy using his flashlight as he and the other officer walked up the driveway of a home. Hill was a guest of the homeowner and was standing in the garage.
It showed Hill walk toward the officers while holding his cellphone when Coy fired his weapon. Hill was shot four times, according to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
The body camera footage showed that neither officer rendered aid or medical assistance to Hill as he lay on the ground for several minutes.
Collins said there had been other interactions between his client and Hill and the body camera video only shows a fraction of what happened. He said Coy thought Hill had a gun, but no weapon was found at the scene.
“When he saw the right hand come toward him, he thought there was a silver revolver,” Collins previously said.
The attorney said that Supreme Court rulings provide for defenses for officers in these type of shootings.
“An officer can be mistaken about the threat, and that’s justified if that mistake was an honest belief and was reasonable,” Collins said.
The shooting sparked outrage and Coy was fired from the police department. Columbus police Chief Thomas Quinlan had recommended Coy’s termination because he failed to activate his body camera prior to the shooting and because he did not provide medical assistance.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
