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Vigil held for Andre Hill in Columbus, Ohio on 26 December. AP/PA Images

Ohio police officer fired over fatal shooting of black man

Officer Adam Coy shot Andre Hill and refused to give him first aid for several minutes.

A WHITE OHIO police officer has been fired after bodycam footage showed him fatally shooting a 47-year-old black man who was holding a mobile phone — and then refusing to administer first aid for several minutes.

Columbus Police officer Adam Coy was fired hours after a hearing to determine his employment, Columbus Public Safety director Ned Pettus said in a statement.

“The actions of Adam Coy do not live up to the oath of a Columbus Police officer, or the standards we, and the community, demand of our officers,” the statement read.

The shooting of Andre Hill is a tragedy for all who loved him in addition to the community and our Division of Police.

Coy remains under criminal investigation for last week’s shooting.

The decision came after Pettus concluded a hearing to determine whether the actions taken by Coy in the moments before and after the fatal shooting on Tuesday were justified.

The public safety director upheld the recommendation of Police Chief Thomas Quinlan, who made a video statement on Christmas Eve, saying he had seen enough to recommend Coy be terminated.

Quinlan expedited the investigation and bypassed procedure to file two departmental charges alleging critical misconduct against Coy.

“This is what accountability looks like. The evidence provided solid rationale for termination,” Quinlan said after Coy’s termination.

“Mr Coy will now have to answer to the state investigators for the death of Andre Hill.”

Members of the local Fraternal Order of Police attended the hearing on behalf of Coy, who decided not to attend.

Coy and another officer had responded to a householder’s non-emergency call after 1am last Tuesday about a car in front of his house in the city’s north-west side that had been running, then shut off, then turned back on, according to a copy of the call released the following day.

Mayor Andrew Ginther said it remained unclear if that car had anything to do with Hill.

Police bodycam footage showed Hill emerging from a garage and holding up a mobile phone in his left hand seconds before he was shot.

There is no audio with the footage because the officer had not activated the body camera. An automatic “look back” feature captured the shooting without audio.

An investigation is also being conducted into the other officers who responded to the call, who Quinlan said also appear to have either failed to activate their body cameras or to render Hill aid.

He said any others who violated department protocols would be held accountable.

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21 Comments
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    Mute Clare McAfee
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:02 AM

    Held accountable? Should be imprisoned, just losing their job is nowhere near accountability.

    I remember the days when the US was the place to travel to, to live in. Now I just pity those that have to live somewhere where this is normal.

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:17 AM

    @Clare McAfee: “Coy remains under criminal investigation”.

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    Mute D Mems
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:25 AM

    @Clare McAfee: how many criminal convictions have you come across that take less than a week to secure, whilst courts are closed for Christmas, outside of dictatorships?
    He is still subject to a criminal investigation, and I’m surprised they were able to fire him even before that was completed. So give credit where its due, they have disciplined him as much as they can to this point quite quickly

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    Mute Jamo
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:54 AM

    @Clare McAfee: Its been going on for years why are you only worried about it now. Chicago is a war zone, Detriot and Baltimore not much better. All Black on black crime and has been happening for years.

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    Mute Francis Devenney
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    Dec 29th 2020, 10:25 AM

    @Jamo: Chicago and Baltimore don’t even get in to the top 10 most dangerous cities and Detroit is only 6th. The top 10 are in order, Anchorage, Alaska
    Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Memphis, Tennessee
    Wichita, Kansas
    Lubbock, Texas
    Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, Michigan
    Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington
    Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
    Corpus Christi, Texas
    Mobile, Alabama.
    So if you’re looking for “war zones” maybe start with Anchorage.

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    Mute BenG
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    Dec 29th 2020, 10:41 AM

    @Francis Devenney: ahh Francis, you didn’t give Jamo much time to wallow in is warm racist cesspit …

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    Mute Jamo
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    Dec 29th 2020, 11:54 AM

    @Francis Devenney: What site are you getting that from? I’ve checked multiple and Baltimore and Detriot are 1 and 2. Thejournal won’t let me put up a link. I’m talking gun crime not car theft etc.

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    Mute Jamo
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    Dec 29th 2020, 12:00 PM

    @BenG: You couldn’t be more wrong i just like talking facts and don’t sweep clear stats under the carpet.

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    Mute Francis Devenney
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    Dec 29th 2020, 12:19 PM

    @Jamo: Just limiting violence to gun crime is very misleading. The most common weapon in murders and assaults in the US is a blunt object. Also not all violent crime ends in murder and not all gun crime is violent (possession of an unlicensed firearm for instance)
    Here’s an interesting read from Pew research’
    https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/20/facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/

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    Mute Clare McAfee
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    Dec 29th 2020, 1:06 PM

    @Jamo: where did I say I was only concerned about it now? I didn’t. It goes without saying this has been going on for a very long time..

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    Mute Clare McAfee
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    Dec 29th 2020, 1:10 PM

    @D Mems: what I meant to say, is in reference to the comment in the article about “this is what accountability looks like” in relation to losing his job.. no, that’s not anywhere near accountability. Getting done for murder would be accountability, a job is meaningless in the context of what this individual did.

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    Mute Clare McAfee
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    Dec 29th 2020, 1:12 PM

    @Jamo: excuse me? Where did I say I was only worried about it now? That’s a pretty rubbish conclusion to arrive at..

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    Mute Damien Leen
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    Dec 30th 2020, 2:47 AM

    @Jamo: black on black Crime…all there fault so…leave them at it so I suppose…nothing with African Americans being marginalised for generations…& That’s putting it mildly. Wake up man!

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    Mute Rob Gale
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:51 AM

    The cops shouldn’t even respond to a call about a car engine starting and stopping a few times, let alone going there with guns drawn. A bunch of scared wieners with guns.

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    Mute Paul
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    Dec 29th 2020, 10:01 AM

    @Rob Gale: a lot of states have a mandatory response requirement, if a member of the public makes a call the police/fire/ambulance must attend. It’s a bit mad really.

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    Mute Jamo
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    Dec 29th 2020, 10:01 AM

    @Rob Gale: Brave fella alright sitting behind a keyboard.

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    Mute Rob Gale
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    Dec 29th 2020, 11:13 AM

    @Jamo: what? You think it takes bravery to shoot an innocent unarmed dude strolling along on his phone?

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    Mute Rob Gale
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    Dec 29th 2020, 11:18 AM

    @Paul: ah yea. But i think the fact that they roll up with guns for reports of a car stopping and starting shows how ready and eager they are to use them. Like if you arrived there and saw a guy, chances are nothing is goin on. What’s their thought process? “Hey maybe that’s the guy who.. started and stopped a car.. take no chances! Kill him!” Seems like life is cheap over there. A war nation.

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    Mute Quiet Goer
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:22 AM

    They’re mad for shooting fellas over there

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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Dec 29th 2020, 9:39 AM

    @Quiet Goer: They justify their guns by saying “the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”.
    How many ‘good’ guys do we read about?

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    Mute Paul Cahoon
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    Dec 29th 2020, 12:01 PM

    Should be brought to trial for murder same as everyone else. A lesson needs to be taught.

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