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Columbus reaches $10M settlement for family of Andre Hill

Racial-Injustice-Columbus-Police
Posted at 11:28 AM, May 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-14 13:28:12-04

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's capital city has reached a $10 million settlement for the family of Andre Hill, a Black man who was fatally shot by a white Columbus police officer in December as he emerged from a garage holding a cellphone.

The settlement announced Friday is the largest in city history.

The city attorney says no amount of money will bring Hill back to his family, but called the settlement an important and necessary step in the right direction.

The settlement will also rename a city gym frequented by Hill.

The Hill's family attorney said in a statement that "now all those involved can begin to heal," The Associated Press reported.

When he was shot, he was visiting a family friend, who yelled at the police after the shooting that he was bringing her Christmas money, The AP reported.

The officer who shot Hill was fired and has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder.

According to the AP, police officer Adam Coy, was fired in December and had a long history of complaints from citizens.

Coy was fired "for failing to activate his body camera before the confrontation and for not providing medical aid to Hill," the AP reported.

The Ohio attorney general, the U.S. attorney for central Ohio, and the FBI are also investigating the shooting.