logo
Ex-officer who mistook a Black man's keys and phone for a gun gets 15 years to life for murder

Ex-officer who mistook a Black man's keys and phone for a gun gets 15 years to life for murder

Al Arabiyaa day ago
A former Ohio police officer convicted of murder in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed, was given a mandatory sentence Monday of 15 years to life. Former Columbus officer Adam Coy shot Hill four times in a garage in December 2020 as the country reckoned with a series of police killings of Black men, women, and children. He told jurors that he feared for his life because he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver. Coy, who is being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma, told the court Monday he plans to appeal the verdict.
'I feel my actions were justified,' Coy said. 'I reacted the same way I had in hundreds of training scenarios. I drew and fired my weapon to stop a threat, protect myself and my partner.' Prosecutors said Hill followed police commands and was never a threat to Coy. In victim impact statements Monday, Hill's sisters and ex-wife described the 47-year-old as a gentle man who had never known a stranger. His grandchildren called him 'Big Daddy.' Police body camera footage showed Hill coming out of the garage of a friend's house, holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible seconds before he was fatally shot. Almost 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene rendered aid. Coy, who was fired afterward, had a lengthy history of citizen complaints, although most were declared unfounded. Weeks later, the mayor forced out the police chief after a series of fatal police shootings of Black people. Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill's family, and the city passed a law requiring police to give immediate medical attention to injured suspects.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New York officer killed in shooting was Bangladeshi immigrant whose wife was pregnant
New York officer killed in shooting was Bangladeshi immigrant whose wife was pregnant

Al Arabiya

time9 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

New York officer killed in shooting was Bangladeshi immigrant whose wife was pregnant

The New York police officer killed in a mass shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday was described by the city's mayor and police commissioner as a heroic Bangladeshi immigrant who saved lives while 'putting his life on the line.' A gunman opened fire on Monday inside a midtown office tower, killing four people, including Officer Didarul Islam, 36, before fatally shooting himself, officials said. 'We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the New York City Police Department, Officer Islam,' New York Mayor Eric Adams told reporters in a press conference late on Monday. Adams said the officer was a three and a half year veteran of the police department. 'He was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers,' Adams said. 'He loved this city, and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God.' Adams said he met the officer's family on Monday night. 'I told them that he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line,' the mayor added. Islam was married, had two young sons, and his wife is pregnant with a third child, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in the press conference. 'He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice — shot in cold blood,' she said. Islam was working on a paid security detail in the building when the shooting occurred, the commissioner added. Such details allow 'companies to hire officers in uniform to provide extra uniform security,' she said. Excluding Islam, 42 federal, state, county, municipal, military, and US territories officers have died in the line of duty in the first half of 2025, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Shooting at New York City office tower kills 4
Shooting at New York City office tower kills 4

Arab News

time10 hours ago

  • Arab News

Shooting at New York City office tower kills 4

NEW YORK: A man with a rifle killed an off-duty New York City police officer and three other people before taking his own life at a Manhattan office tower on Monday, according to officials. Law enforcement officials were working to unravel what took place and why this location may have been targeted in a city that had recently announced it was on pace to have its fewest people hurt by gunfire than any year in recent decades. What happened? A man exited a double parked BMW with an M4 rifle and then walked toward the building on Monday evening, according to surveillance video. He quickly opened fire on the NYPD officer as he entered the building before shooting a woman who tried to take cover, police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Monday night. He then started 'spraying' the lobby with gunfire. The man went to the elevator bank and shot a security guard who was taking cover behind a security desk and also another man in the lobby, Tisch said. The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor to a real estate management company and one person was shot and killed on that floor. The man then walked down a hallway and shot himself, she said. What do we know about the gunman? Police identified Shane Tamura of Las Vegas as the gunman, although his motive and reasoning for targeting the building was not immediately clear. Tamura had a 'documented mental health history,' Tisch said. His vehicle had traveled across the US through Colorado on July 26 and then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27. It arrived in Columbia, New Jersey, as recently as Monday afternoon, before making it to New York City, she said. Officers found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines and ammunition in his car, Tisch said. No one answered the door at the address listed for Tamura in Las Vegas. Who were the victims? Didarul Islam, 36, had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years. He was an immigrant from Bangladesh. Islam was married and had two young boys, Tisch said. His wife is pregnant with their third child. The names of the other victims, along with a man who was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition, have not yet been released. Where did the shooting happen? The shooting took place at 345 Park Avenue, a commercial office building in a busy area of midtown that is just a short walk north from Grand Central Terminal and about a block east of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The building houses offices for companies including the NFL and real estate company Rudin, as well as finance companies KPMG and Blackstone. It also includes the consulate general of Ireland.

Timeline: How the deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting played out
Timeline: How the deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting played out

Al Arabiya

time11 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

Timeline: How the deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting played out

The first word of a deadly shooting spree during rush hour in Midtown Manhattan on Monday came into the New York 911 system at 6:28 p.m. (2228 GMT) and more calls soon flooded in, according to a detailed recount of the shooting that left at least five dead, including the gunman. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that surveillance video showed the suspected gunman, Shane Tamura, leave a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd street. Carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand, Tisch said he crossed to the building's entrance. Surveillance video then showed Tamura enter the lobby, 'turn right and immediately open fire on an NYPD officer.' Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas who appears to have driven across country over three days to New York, next shot a woman taking cover behind a pillar, 'and proceeds through the lobby, spraying it with gunfire,' Tisch said, in terse recap of the shooting. Tamura encountered his next victim as he made his way to the elevator bank, 'where he shoots a security guard who was taking cover behind the security desk.' Another male was also shot in the lobby, Tisch said, citing a statement from the victim from the hospital. Tamura, whom Tisch has been told by Nevada police has a history of mental illness, then summoned an elevator. When it opened, a woman stepped out and walked past him, unharmed, Tisch said. Tamura then entered the elevator, riding it to the offices of real estate firm Rudin Management on the 33rd floor. Once there, 'he begins to walk the floor, firing rounds as he traveled.' 'One person was struck and killed on that floor,' Tisch said. Lastly, Tamura 'proceeds down a hallway and shoots himself in the chest.' 'In total, we have five innocent victims ... four innocent civilians and our police officer.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store