A former Ohio police officer who shot and killed a black man as he was leaving a parking garage four years ago in Columbus was found guilty of murder on Monday.

Adam Coy, who is white, faces life in prison for shooting Andre Hill, 47, in December 2020.

Mr Hill was carrying a mobile phone and keys when Coy shot him four times.

Coy, 48, told jurors he believed Mr Hill was holding a silver revolver.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said, testifying he realized his mistake when he rolled over Mr Hill’s body and saw there was no weapon.

“I knew at that point I made a mistake,” he said. “I was terrified.”

Coy was responding to a complaint of someone inside a moving vehicle around 1:30 a.m. when he first encountered Mr. Hill, who was sitting inside an SUV.

The former officer said Mr Hill appeared dismissive and suspicious when Mr Hill went to a nearby house and knocked on the door, before entering through the garage. An investigation later found the house belonged to a friend of Mr Hill’s.

Coy used a flashlight to see Mr. Hill in the garage and ordered him out.

Police dashcam footage showed Mr Hill then exiting the garage holding a mobile phone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before he was shot dead by Coy. It was almost 10 minutes before officers on the scene gave Mr Hill medical attention. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Prosecutors said Mr Hill followed the officer’s orders and was never a threat to Coy.

“We’ve been taught to do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive the encounter,” prosecutor Anthony Pierson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what happened here.”

Coy did not visibly react to the verdict, according to AP News. Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh set a sentencing date for Nov. 25.

Weeks after Mr. Hill’s shooting, the Columbus police chief resigned under increasing scrutiny over a series of fatal shootings of unarmed black men and children. The city later reached a $10m (£7.7m) settlement with Hill’s family – the largest in its history.

The Columbus City Council later passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to immediately render medical aid to an injured suspect.