Ohio attorney general hands off prosecution of Andre Hill's murder case

Watch the latest and a previous report on former Columbus police officer Adam Coy in the player above

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The agency prosecuting the murder case of a former Columbus police officer in the death of Andre Hill changed hands Monday morning.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said its office is stepping back from prosecuting Adam Coy, the officer who fatally shot Hill, 47, moments after encountering him in December 2020, and handing it off to the Franklin County prosecutor's office.

Yost said this will allow the attorney who had been handling the case for him, Anthony Pierson, to continue work on it. Earlier this month, Pierson left his role as assistant attorney general to become deputy chief counsel for Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack.

“This transition will help maintain consistency in prosecutorial efforts,” Yost said in a news release. “It’s what’s best for the case and what’s best for the state of Ohio.”

The case is on hold as Coy undergoes cancer treatment.

On Dec. 22, 2020, Coy was dispatched to the 1000 block of Oberlin Drive on a nonemergency call. He found Hill, who went into an open garage, and when he came out with a phone in one hand, Coy shot at him. Hill was unarmed.

Coy did not activate his body camera until after the shooting, leaving only video and no audio preserved of the shooting. Coy did not immediately offer medical aid to Hill, who was eventually taken to a hospital and died hours later.

Coy was fired from the force a week later. Hill's family reached a $10 million settlement with the city the following year, and Columbus City Council passed legislation named after Hill to regulate the use of body cameras and requiring medical aid be rendered.

Yost's announcement came the same morning that Pierson said he will seek to replace Tyack, who is not running for a second term in 2024.