Defense team calls final witness in former Columbus police officer Adam Coy’s slaying case

The defense team for Adam Coy, the former Columbus police officer on trial on charges of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in the December 2020 shooting and killing of Andre Hill, an unarmed black man, finished calling witnesses in court Tuesday.

Coy testified in his own defense on Monday. He told jurors he thought Hill had a revolver in his hand when he shot him four times. Hill held the keys.

James Scanlon, a law enforcement expert who was the defense team’s final witness, told jurors that Coy’s mistake was objectively reasonable and that another officer could have made a similar decision, even though it was wrong.

On cross-examination, Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Anthony Pearson asked Scanlon if Coy could have given Hill other orders instead of shooting him.

Scanlon stated that there would have been no time if Coy had thought Hill had a gun.

Below are excerpts from Scanlon’s testimony:

Pearson: So you’re saying today that you don’t believe that Mr. Coy could have said, “Show me your hands.”
Scanlon: No, I’m not saying he couldn’t. I just don’t have 20/20 hindsight about what he could have, should have, would have done.

Later in the redirect, defense attorney Mark Collins asked if there was “any requirement that an officer must give verbal commands before making a deadly threat or before using deadly force?”

“No,” said Scanlon.

Pearson pointed out to the jury that each of the six times Scanlon testified as a law enforcement expert, his testimony was in support of the police officers.

“It’s true. I offered to testify against the police in criminal cases a year ago. But I didn’t support the proposal,” Scanlon said.

Collins asked Scanlon how police officers are trained to respond when they think someone is in danger.

Collins: Are they trained to take a second and see if that immediate perceived threat becomes lethal?
Scanlon: No.
Collins: Why not?
Scanlon: Again, action beats reaction. If they sense a lethal threat, a reasonably perceived lethal threat, they are trained to respond with lethal force.

Scanlon testified that officers are permitted to err if their error is reasonable under the circumstances, given the knowledge the officer had access to at the time, without 20/20 hindsight.

Prosecutors are expected to call their own police expert on Wednesday before closing arguments.