Ohio mayor calls fatal police shooting of Black man a 'stunning disregard for life' after release of body camera footage

The 47-year-old unarmed Black man killed by a Columbus officer early Tuesday lay on the ground for several minutes without anyone rendering aid or medical assistance — a violation of police policy and procedure — body camera footage of the deadly encounter released Wednesday shows.

Andre Maurice Hill was a guest of the homeowner and had not committed a crime when two officers approached the garage he was standing in around 1:30 a.m.

The video shows Columbus Officer Adam Coy using his flashlight as he walked up the driveway. Hill then walks toward the officers while holding his cellphone when the officer fired his weapon. Hill’s other hand couldn’t be seen clearly.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday afternoon called for the termination of Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force.

“He was an expected guest. He was not an intruder,” the mayor said of Hill during a press conference. “It is simply an unexplainable loss. None of the officers initially at the scene provided medical assistance, no compression on the wounds to stop the bleeding, no attempts of CPR, not even a hand on the shoulder or an encouraging word that medics were en route. It’s an officer’s duty to render aid.”

Upon arrival, both officers also failed to activate their body-worn cameras until immediately after the shooting, which was another violation of police protocol, the mayor said. Because of a 60-second "look back" function, the shooting was captured without audio.

Because this was a non-emergency call, run lights and sirens were not engaged as officers arrived. As a result, the dash camera in the police cruiser was also not activated for any part of the encounter.

The shooting on Oberlin Drive occurred nearly three weeks after law enforcement fatally shot 23-year-old Black man Casey Goodson as he entered his grandmother's home. He was laid to rest on Wednesday. The investigation into his death continues.

“Enough is enough. This community is exhausted. The African-American community is fearful and concerned and outraged. This is a stunning disregard for life,” Ginther said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating.

“It’s problematic and we’re outraged. Those body cameras were paid for with taxpayers money, the expectation is that you have them on. If you don’t have it on, you need to be gone. I mean why would you not have it on?” said Nana Watson, president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP.

Five years ago, the organization demanded Columbus officers wear body cameras to bring change to the police division and now it appears those recommendations aren’t being consistently followed.

“What’s the punishment for not having it on? That’s what we need to know, too. We’ll never know what happened because there’s no audio with the tapes. That’s too much for this community to endure.”

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) called the killing unacceptable.

“There are not enough words to express the pain and anger I feel that another Black man has been killed in our community at the hands of law enforcement in less than a month. While we do not know all of the facts, what I do know is that this is unacceptable,” she wrote in a Twitter post. “I am greatly concerned and call into question police procedures as well as the timing and inconsistent use of body cameras. I stand with the community in seeking the truth and demanding justice. My condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim.”

Added the mayor: “We give our officers great power… the power to stop, to detain, to question, to arrest, to use force and to even take life. And with that power comes greater (responsibility), including using body worn cameras and rendering aid,” the mayor said.