Ohio Attorney General sends Adam Coy prosecution back to Franklin County
The Ohio Attorney General's office announced Monday that the trial of a former Columbus police officer accused of killing an unarmed Black man inside a Northwest Side garage will now be handled by the Franklin County Prosecutor's office.
Anthony Pierson, who began Monday as deputy chief counsel for the Franklin County Prosecutor's office, will lead the prosecution of Adam Coy. Pierson had been handling the case for the Attorney General's office.
Coy, 46, is facing charges of murder, felonious assault, dereliction of duty and reckless homicide in connection with the Dec. 22, 2020, fatal shooting of Andre Hill, a 47-year-old Black man who was unarmed when he was shot by Coy, who was responding to a nonemergency noise complaint.
The announcement from Attorney General Dave Yost came on the same day as Pierson announced his candidacy to replace Gary Tyack as Franklin County prosecutor in the 2024 election.
Hill's family received a $10 million settlement from the City of Columbus after his death. City Council also passed Andre's Law in Hill's honor, requiring law enforcement personnel in Columbus to provide first aid measures until paramedics arrive on the scene.
Coy was fired by Columbus police within a week of the shooting.
Coy's trial is currently on hold indefinitely as Coy undergoes cancer treatments. He is free on a $1 million bond.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Attorney General sends Coy prosecution back to Franklin County
