Adam Coy, the former Columbus, Ohio, cop who fatally shot Andre Hill last year, has requested his trial be moved to another city due to fears that it would be “impossible” to impanel an impartial jury.
According to the Associated Press, Coy’s attorney Mark Collins argued in a court filing that the extensive publicity surrounding the case in Columbus would make it difficult to find unbiased jurors. He cited the news coverage surrounding the case, social media posts, and billboards that have gone up demanding justice for Hill as reasons why the trial should be moved.
“Compiling an impartial jury in Franklin County would be impossible because potential jurors are not only exposed to the extensive news coverage but also to their fellow neighbors’ opinions,” Collins said in a filing late last month.
Coy’s trial is currently set for July 21, and it’s unclear if a change in location could result in a potential delay. Personally, I feel like the circumstances of this case paint Coy as absolute fucking trash, and I don’t think a change in location is going to change that.
Coy was responding to a non-emergency call on Dec. 22 when Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, emerged from a garage holding a cell phone. Coy responded by fatally shooting him. He failed to turn on his body camera, but a 60-second look back feature captured the shooting, though the footage is without sound.
He was eventually fired on Dec. 28 for both failing to activate his body camera and not providing medical aid to Hill after he was shot. The former officer was the subject of numerous complaints during his time on the force.
So yeah. Fucking trash, right?
Shortly after his firing, Coy was charged with murder in the commission of a felony and felonious assault. He was also charged with dereliction of duty but those charges have since been dropped.
In addition to an internal investigation being conducted by the Columbus Police Department, probes into the shooting have also been launched by the FBI, the Ohio attorney general, and the U.S. attorney for central Ohio. The city of Columbus also reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family back in May.
“No amount of money will ever bring André Hill back to his family, but we believe this is an important and necessary step in the right direction,” Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said when announcing the settlement.
DISCUSSION
The whole point of a fucking trial by jury is that you are judged by your peers. That means the people where the crime happened.
If you committed an act so egregious that you think people in your area can’t be unbiased against you, that should be your fucking problem.
Not Andre’s.