advertisement

Chief: Police didn't show care for Andre Hill after shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - In the minutes that ticked by after a police officer shot Andre Hill inside his friend's garage, officers scoured the driveway for shell casings, strung crime scene tape around the house and blocked off the street.

At one point, two Columbus officers rolled Hill over and put handcuffs on him before leaving him alone again. None of them, according to body camera footage released Thursday, offered any first aid even though Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was barely moving, groaning and bleeding while laying on the garage floor.

Roughly 10 minutes passed before a police supervisor showed up and asked, 'œAnybody doing anything for him?'ť It wasn't until then that an officer began pumping the chest of Hill, who later was pronounced dead at a hospital on Dec. 22.

While Officer Adam Coy, who is white, was fired this week over accusations of incompetence and gross neglect of duty in the fatal shooting, the officers who failed to treat Hill also are under investigation for failing to follow department policy.

Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said he was horrified by the lack of compassion shown in the bodycam videos.

'œAs a police chief, and just as a human being, the events of the last week have left me shaken, and heartbroken for the family of Andre Hill,'ť Quinlan said in a statement. 'œEvery man and woman who wears this badge should feel the same.'ť

Family members on on Thursday blasted officers' treatment of Hill at an emotional news conference.

'œThe way that my brother was treated, to me, it's like an animal,'ť said his sister, Michelle Hairston. 'œHe was preyed upon. He wasn't given any kind of chances.'ť

'œWhere is the humanity?" said Benjamin Crump, a civil rights and trial attorney representing the family and who, with family members, called on Coy to be arrested and charged. 'œThis is a couple days before Christmas. Why is nobody being Christ-like?'ť

Coy, a 17-year member of the force, shot Hill when he emerged from the garage holding a cellphone with his left hand and his right hand not visible. Another officer on the scene said she didn't perceive any threats and didn't see a gun, contrary to a mistaken claim by Coy.

According to the bodycam video released Thursday, Coy told another officer leading him away from the home: 'œI've got to figure out what I missed.'ť

'œWe'll take care of that, I promise you,'ť Officer Jared Barsotti responded.

Coy and Officer Amy Detweiler were responding to a neighbor's nonemergency call when they encountered Hill.

A woman inside a house where Hill was shot told the officers moments after the shooting that he was coming over to bring her money, according to the bodycam footage.

'œHe was bringing me Christmas money. He didn't do anything,'ť she shouted.

Roughly five minutes after Hill was shot, one officer shouted: 'œLet's cuff him up. He's still moving.'ť

Shawna Barnett, another one of Hill's sisters, called out officers directly for their lack of action.

'œHow can you sleep at night knowing that you did this, and left him there, and had the nerve to turn him over and handcuff him but not offer him any type of help?" she said Thursday.

Hill was shot two weeks after a white Franklin County sheriff's deputy shot 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr., who was Black, outside Goodson's house on the north side of Columbus.

Twenty faith leaders, including the Roman Catholic bishop for the Columbus diocese, called for changes Thursday in central Ohio policing. The problem goes deeper than a 'œfew bad apples'ť in departments, the leaders said in a letter sent to Columbus city and police officials.

'œThe deeper problem is the existence of a systemic culture within many police departments, as evidenced here in Columbus, where Black men are perceived as threats by the police,'ť the letter said. 'œThe result is that Black communities always feel harassed and threatened.'ť

___

Seewer reported from Toledo. Kantele Franko in Columbus and Mark Gillispie from Cleveland contributed.

A small set of candles sit on a sidewalk near the site of a fatal police shooting, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020 on Oberlin Drive in Columbus, Ohio. Body camera footage released Wednesday shows Andre Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, emerging from a garage and holding up a cellphone in his left hand seconds before he is fatally shot by a Columbus police officer. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents work the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 at the 1000 block of Oberlin Dr. in Columbus, Ohio. A police officer who shot and killed a Black man holding a cell phone in Ohio's capital city early Tuesday did not activate his body camera beforehand, and dash cameras on the officers' cruiser were also not activated, city officials said. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Attorney Ben Crump is accompanied by family members of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man who was shot by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22, during a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Andre Hill's sisters Michelle Hairston, left, and Shawna Barnett, right, react while taking turns speaking about their brother during a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the East side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Andre Hill's daughter, Karissa, is comforted by family attorney Ben Crump, while Hill's brother Alvon Williams speaks during a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the East side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, was shot by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Andre Hill's daughter, Karissa, attends a news conference held by family attorney Ben Crump, right, at the Beza Community Center on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Attorney Michael Wright speaks as Ben Crump comforts Andre Hill's daughter Karissa Hill, while a printed statement made by Columbus Chief of Police Thomas Quinlan in reference to complaints about police officer Adam Coy is held up during a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill was shot and killed by Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Attorney Ben Crump, right, stands with Andre Hill's daughter, Karissa Hill, as other family members speak at a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill was an unarmed Black man who was shot by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Andre Hill's brother, Alvon Williams, speaks accompanied by his sisters, Michelle Hariston, center, and Shawna Barnett during a news conference at the Beza Community Center on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Andre Hill was an unarmed Black man who was shot by Columbus police officer Adam Coy early on Tuesday, Dec. 22. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.