Adam Coy, a white former police officer fatally shot Andre Maurice Hill while responding to a noise complaint. Hill was unarmed
By Rich McKay
Feb 4 (Reuters) - A white former Ohio police officer has been arrested and indicted on a murder charge in the fatal shooting on an unarmed Black man in December.
Adam Coy, 44, a 19-year-veteran of the Columbus police force, will face a judge for a bond hearing on Friday in the Dec. 22 shooting death of Andre Maurice Hill, 47, officials said. Coy was responding to a nuisance call about car noise.
Coy, who was fired a week after the shooting, told his fellow police officers that he thought Hill was holding a gun and he feared for his life. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told a press conference on Wednesday that Hill had a cell phone and no weapons were found.
"Andre Hill should not be dead," Yost said, announcing the charges. "No weapon was found at the scene."
An Ohio grand jury indicted Coy on Wednesday on one charge of murder, one charge of felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty, Yost said. Coy was arrested at the office of his attorney Wednesday afternoon.
His attorney, Mark Collins, did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.
Coy's dismissal came at the recommendation of Thomas Quinlan, the police chief at the time of Hill's death, who said Hill was the victim of "senseless violence" when he was gunned down in the garage of a house where he had been staying as a guest.
His death added to a years-long series of police killings of unarmed Black men across the nation, prompting widespread protests.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
