What the jury did not hear in the murder trial of former Columbus police officer Adam Coy

Jury deliberations are expected to resume at 9:15 a.m. Friday. NBC4 will livestream the reading of the verdict when it happens.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklin County jury will decide if a former Columbus police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man is guilty of murder, without factoring in prior use of force complaints and other related information that was not shared during the trial.

Jury deliberations began Thursday in the trial for Adam Coy, 48, who is facing charges of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in the death of Andre Hill, 47. If convicted of murder — the most serious charge — Coy could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. The jury could choose to convict Coy on any combination of charges, or none at all. 

On Dec. 22, 2020, at about 1:50 a.m., Coy shot Hill four times while responding to a nonemergency suspicious vehicle call on Columbus’ northwest side. Coy fired at Hill after he began exiting a garage at his request, while holding up an illuminated phone screen in his left hand, and his right hand not clearly visible due to a parked car. Coy testified he believed Hill had a silver revolver in his right hand, which ended up being a set of keys.

While multiple officers began arriving at the scene about five minutes after the shooting, 10 minutes passed before Hill was given any medical assistance. He died at a hospital less than an hour later.

The jury did not hear about Coy's history, including prior citizen complaints made about his use of force. Coy’s Columbus Division of Police personnel file showed he received 90 citizen complaints during his time with the department, including an incident where he pulled over a suspected drunk driver and slammed the person’s head on the hood of his police cruiser four times.

The judge presiding over the case, Stephen McIntosh, ruled that Coy’s “prior use or non-use of force” could not be discussed during the trial. 

The defense also requested McIntosh prohibit text messages between Hill and the woman he was planning on meeting at the time of the shooting from being presented at the trial. While court records available online do not show whether McIntosh granted or denied the motion, jurors were not shown the text messages. 

“The government is trying to put forth one theory about what may have been going on and why Mr. Hill was in the neighborhood however the defense can prove a different theory,” the motion reads. “It is a theory collaborated by … the witness who was in the house, cell phone extraction as well as her personal record. Regardless, both of these theories should not be allowed in because they were not known to Adam Coy at the time he made the decision to use deadly force.”

Although changes to both the police department and city law, as well as a lawsuit, came after Hill's death, attorneys did not discuss these instances during Coy's trial. Days after the shooting, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called for Coy’s termination. Coy was fired a week after Hill’s death, with Ginther applauding the department for its “swift” action. 

“Columbus Division of Police’s core values are integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence,” Ginther said in December 2020. “From the body-worn camera footage we’ve seen, these values were absent and not on display while Mister Hill lay dying.”

After the Columbus police department faced national backlash for the shooting, then-police chief Thomas Quinlan stepped down in January 2021, with Ginther stating Quinlan could not "successfully implement the reform and change I expect." The mayor launched a national search for a replacement from outside of the department to change its culture. Elaine Bryant, who previously served as a deputy chief in Detroit, was hired later that year and continues to serve in that role. 

Additionally, in February 2021, City Council passed Andre’s Law, which requires Columbus officers to have their body cameras on when responding to calls and to provide medical assistance until paramedics arrive.

"This law will not solve all police violence, but it's one more step in the right direction to ensure we know what is happening on the scene based on bodycam footage and ensure that if residents are hurt, police officers are there to render aid and for those who don't comply, there can be greater accountability," City Council president Shannon Hardin said in 2021.

A civil lawsuit for Hill's death was also not mentioned during the trial. Hill’s family, represented by nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump, sought damages from Coy and Columbus police for Hill’s death, and reached a $10 million settlement with the city in May 2021. As a part of the agreement, a Columbus community center was renamed in Hill’s honor. When the city announced the deal, Crump called the settlement the largest for a pretrial excessive use of force case in Ohio. 

The jury did hear from the officer with Coy at the time of the shooting, Coy himself and other responders. Jurors also heard from law enforcement expert witnesses from both the prosecution and defense, who gave conflicting testimony on whether Coy followed nationally recognized police practices.

The fact that Coy did not give Hill immediate medical attention was only briefly mentioned, since jurors are not considering a now-dropped dereliction of duty charge for failing to provide medical assistance.

The jury will deliberate on its own schedule, McIntosh said after closing arguments.