A demonstrator stands outside of First Church of God before the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The union that represents Columbus police officers hasn't decided yet whether to formally challenge the firing of the officer who shot and killed Andre Hill on Dec. 22.
The city fired officer Adam Coy, who is white, days after he shot and killed Hill, a Black man, who walked out of a garage holding a cellphone. Police union president Keith Ferrell said Monday the organization is waiting for more information.
'œI don't think it would be fair for me to stand up here and tell you that Officer Coy did everything right, because I don't know that,'ť said Ferrell, president of Capital City Lodge No. 9. 'œThat's not responsible for me to do that.'ť
Once the investigation is complete, the union 'œmay or may not'ť file for arbitration.
However, in a procedural move Monday, the union notified the city of its intent to seek arbitration. Ferrell said the notification was necessary because the city didn't grant the union an extension to continue its own investigation.
Ferrell said it's not uncommon for the union, which represents officers in several central Ohio police departments, to choose not to fight an officer's firing.
'œWe are fully prepared to defend our position when arbitration is scheduled,'ť Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus Jr. wrote in a statement.
Both Democratic Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Police Chief Thomas Quinlan have criticized the officers who responded to Hill's shooting for not providing any medical aid for several minutes. Quinlan says Hill should be alive today.
Ferrell didn't directly address this criticism Monday, but said more training and equipment will be necessary depending on what the city thinks officers should do in such circumstances.
'œThe level of training significantly would have to increase if you want us to be medics, and the equipment is not sufficient now to allow those things,'ť he said.
Also Monday, the union alleged the city violated several due process requirements during the Hill investigation and filed a grievance over those, Ferrell said.
The alleged violations involve rules over internal investigations procedures and the ability for officers to give their side of events. Ferrell did not provide specifics. That grievance is independent of any union decision about challenging Coy's firing.
The city has yet to receive the grievance, said Glenn McEntyre, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the police department.
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Signs reading "Justice for Andre'" and "Justice for Casey," in reference to Andre' Hill and Casey Goodson Jr., both Black men killed at the hands of law enforcement in Columbus, sit outside the First Church of God before the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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Karissa Hill, daughter of Andre Hill, is comforted by family as she weeps while her father's casket is closed at the start of the funeral services for Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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A mourner raises his fist as attorney Ben Crump, not pictured, demands justice during the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther pays his respects at the casket of Andre Hill during funeral services on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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Attorney Ben Crump speaks during the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy can be seen in bodycam footage fatally shooting Hill, a Black man, early Dec. 22 as Hill emerged from a garage holding a cellphone in his left hand with his right hand obscured. He was visiting a family friend at the time. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, speaks during the funeral of Andre Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Columbus Division of Police Officer Adam Coy in the early morning of Dec. 22, 2020 after officers responded to a non-emergency call in the area. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
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