An officer who witnessed Andre Hill’s deadly shooting in Ohio told investigators she had not seen Hill pose a threat before his murder, according to documents obtained by CBS News. The officer who shot Hill, identified as Adam Coy, was fired Monday by the town’s director of public security after Columbus police chief called the shooting “horrific” and recommended his termination.
Previously released camera footage of the body showed Coy approaching Hill, a 47-year-old black man, while standing in a garage on Dec. 22. Hill walked up to Coy with his cell phone and Coy opened fire in seconds. Hill then fell to the ground while Coy called out to show his hands. The video did not show Coy providing medical attention to Hill, who was treated by medics minutes later. Hill was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Coy did not turn on his body camera before approaching Hill – but a 60-second automatic “look back” function, activated when Coy turned the camera on after shooting, captured the incident without sound.
Police investigators’ December 23 interview with Officer Amy Detweiler, documented in a summary obtained by CBS News on Tuesday, provides more details about the events leading up to the deadly shooting. Detweiler told detectives that she responded to the scene after receiving messages from a person turning the engine of an SUV on and off at about 1:30 a.m. She said that Coy, who was already on site, told her that Hill had parked the SUV and walked in. a garage. She said she hadn’t seen a conversation between Coy and Hill.
Detweiler said that as she and Coy approached the garage, Hill stood inside without entering the residence. When Coy asked Hill to leave the garage on a “ normal voice, ” Hill didn’t respond verbally, but started walking out, she said.
According to the summary of the interview, Detweiler then told investigators that Hill walked up to her with a cellphone in his hand. “She didn’t notice any threat from Mr. Hill,” the summary reads. Detweiler said Hill then turned to Coy and dropped his left hand. Detweiler told investigators she couldn’t see his right side, but said she didn’t see a gun.
Shortly after, Detweiler said, she heard Coy shout, “There’s a gun in his other hand, there’s a gun in his other!” followed by gunshots. Detweiler has not provided any information about what happened after the shooting.
Benjamin Crump
CBS News also obtained Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan’s administrative inquiry into Coy, which was sent to the town’s director of public safety as part of a recommendation to fire Coy. In the report, Quinlan noted that Coy “responded very sadly with foul language when he realized that Mr. Hill was unarmed,” and said that Coy could be heard on his body camera to “become physically ill” in the aftermath of the shooting.
Nevertheless, Quinlan wrote that “Officer Coy’s use of force was not objectively reasonable, he did not use trained techniques, did not use his BWC correctly, and did not provide medical assistance.”
“Agent Coy’s way of handling this run is not a ‘rookie’ mistake due to negligence or inattention, but the decisions (sic) and actions taken were reckless and willful,” added Quinlan.
Quinlan also said, without elaborating, that “I have responded to a lot of shooting scenes involved with the officer and spoke to many officers after these critical incidents. There was something very different about the officer’s involvement after this critical incident that was difficult to understand. describing is for this letter.
Quinlan also added an excerpt from a letter he wrote in 2008 while serving as Coy’s patrol lieutenant, in which he wrote, “If continued improvements are not fully realized, a decision must follow whether Officer Coy can be rescued. not lead to the desired results, a shift to termination would be warranted, as Officer Coy’s service to the Police Department will have lost all future value. ”Quinlan did not comment on the rationale for the 2008 letter.
Quinlan publicly announced his recommendation to fire Coy on December 24. Public Security Director Ned Pettus Jr. fired Coy after a hearing on Monday.
“Adam Coy’s actions are not in line with a Columbus Police officer’s oath, or the standards that we, and the community, demand of our officers,” said Pettus. According to a representative of his police union, Coy was not present at the hearing.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Hill’s family, hailed the dismissal on Monday as the “ right decision. ” He also released a statement on Tuesday responding to Detweiler’s allegation that Coy said Hill had a gun before firing, writing, “ The rampant police mindset of shooting first and asking questions later when it comes to a black person, is irrefutable proof that Black is not alive. it matters too many law enforcement officers. ”
Although Officer Coy had sworn to protect and defend, he failed to take an innocent black life again. Forget the Second Amendment rights, black people don’t even have the right to carry a cell phone without one. deadly at risk, ”added Crump. .
While the administrative investigation into Coy has been resolved, a few other investigations are still ongoing. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating Hill’s death, who, according to a preliminary autopsy report, was a murder, and Quinlan is still investigating other agents who are on the scene for not turning on their body cameras or helping Hill.
The city’s assistant director of public safety said Detweiler has been assigned to administrative duties as the investigation continues.
Coy’s attorney told CBS News that his team is hopeful that the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Attorney General’s Office will “ complete a fair and thorough investigation that will be transparent and guided by the case law and principals (sic) set out. by Supreme Court cases accompanying the use of forced action. Coy has not released a public statement about the shooting.
Nathalie Nieves and Erica Scott contributed to the reporting.