Former police officer Adam Coy was found guilty of murder by a jury on Monday in 2020 fatal shot of Andre Hill, a 47-year-old unarmed black man who was shot four times after the defendant ordered him out of a dark garage while holding a cell phone and a large set of keys .

The jury in the popular Franklin County Court of Common Pleas case announced its verdict after deliberating for about two and a half days.

The video in the player above is from a 2021 report.

In addition to murder, the jury also found Coy guilty of felonious assault and reckless homicide.

“This verdict provides a measure of justice for Andre Hill’s family, who have waited nearly four years to see criminal accountability for his tragic and unnecessary death,” said National Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Hill’s family, in – a statement. “Andre was an unarmed, innocent man, and his life was taken without regard to his duty to protect and serve. Today’s verdict underscores that no one is above the law, including those sworn to uphold it. “

Crump added: “We hope these verdicts bring some healing to the Hill family and send a strong message: accountability in law enforcement is not optional.”

Coy claimed during the trial that he feared for his life when he mistakenly thought Hill was tossing him a silver revolver as he was leaving the garage on December 22, 2020. But the silver revolver Coy testified he believed Hill was holding his right hand turned out to be a set of silver keys.

“I thought I was going to die,” an emotional Coy, a former member of the Columbus Police Department, testified last week.

Coy faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 25.

After the verdict was announced just after noon local time, Judge Stephen L. McIntosh revoked Coy’s $1 million bond, and Coy was immediately taken into custody by court officers who removed him from the courtroom .

Coy was fired from the Columbus Police Department about a week after the shooting.

About a month after the shooting, Coy was arrested and charged with Hill’s murder.

Coy didn’t turn on his body-worn camera until filming Hill, but the device has a “look-back” feature that automatically activated and recorded 60 seconds of the episode without sound, including the footage capture.

Body camera footage, which was played for the jury, also showed that as Hill lay dying on the garage floor, none of the officers who responded to the incident appeared to immediately administer first aid. The footage showed a woman coming out of the house and telling officers that Hill was a guest and that he was “bringing me money for Christmas. He didn’t do anything.”

The jury made its decision after hearing closing arguments on Wednesday.

During his summation, Franklin County Prosecutor Anthony Pierson told the jury that the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Coy’s use of deadly force was not justified, according to his training and national police standards.

“This case is not about someone resisting arrest, where officers gang up on him, put a knee on him or something, and he’s dead,” Pierson said. “This case is not about someone telling the cops, ‘I hate you. I’m going to shoot you,” That’s not what it’s about. This is about a man who followed police orders and was killed for it.”

Coy’s attorney, Mark Collins, criticized the state’s case, saying prosecutors failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

“We now know that the government’s theory that somehow he (Coy) shot an unarmed man and made it up after the fact,” Collins told jurors, referring to Coy’s claims of self-defense after he mistakenly believed he saw a gun in Hill’s hand. “But that’s perverse ladies and gentlemen. Desperate ladies and gentlemen. This is the government, ladies and gentlemen.”

Collins added: “I’m surprised they didn’t say he planted the keys.”

In May 2021, the city of Columbus agreed to a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, the largest amount ever paid by the city.

Coy’s indictment in February 2021 came just days after the Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which was named after Hill and requires Columbus police officers to turn on their body cameras when responding to calls and give first aid immediately after use. force incident.