Police chief in Columbus, Ohio is pushing for the immediate dismissal of an officer who has been seen as a deadly shooting of an unarmed black man on camera footage released earlier this week.
Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said in a statement on Thursday that he has filed two department lawsuits for critical misconduct against the officer, Adam Coy, and is recommending his termination after an expedited investigation has backed these charges.
Body cameras released by the department on Wednesday show that Coy fatally shot Andre Maurice Hill early Tuesday morning.
Coy can be seen with another officer approaching Hill’s garage. About 47 seconds after the start of the video, Hill can be seen walking out of his garage with a phone in one hand and his right hand not visible. Coy appears to shoot Hill just seconds later, and Hill can be seen falling to the ground.
Quinlan said he bypasses the typical step of a police chief hearing when deciding whether to establish a misconduct or discipline based on viewing the camera images of the body.
“I’ve seen everything I need to know that Agent Coy should be fired immediately. Some call this a rush for judgment. It isn’t, ”said Quinlan.
“We have an officer who has taken his oath to comply with the rules and policies of the Columbus Police Department. And the consequences of that violation are so great that immediate action is required. This violation took the life of an innocent man, ”added Quinlan.
It’s Christmas Eve. Andre Hill’s family has nothing to celebrate this holiday. A @Politie_Rdam Officer is responsible for that. So today I am announcing action to end Agent Adam Coy. VIDEO: https://t.co/weZJQXuTS9 pic.twitter.com/OkSct2EqXi
– Thomas Quinlan (@ChiefQuinlan) December 24, 2020
Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther (D) had called for “immediate termination” of Coy.
Eight Democratic state lawmakers in the area issued a joint statement calling the murder “horrific,” The Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers noted that a local sheriff’s deputy, Jason Meade, 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. fatally shot in an incident that sparked protests in the city several weeks earlier.
“It is clear that the seeds of mutual mistrust have been sown between this community and the police,” the Democrats said in the joint statement, the AP said. This suspicion doesn’t just stem from the deaths of Casey Goodson and Andre Hill, it’s only gotten worse with every incidence of violence. There must be transparency and accountability for the loss of life, as well as a commitment to change. “
Crowds gathered to protest on Christmas Eve, with Black Lives Matter signs in hand, near Columbus where Hill was fatally shot, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
More than 100 people gathered for a vigil and protest on Thursday, the newspaper reported.