Tell-It Report: Former Ohio Cop Gets Life Sentence for Murder of Andre Hill
Adam Coy was the first Columbus officer convicted in an on-duty death for the 2020 shooting of Hill, who was unarmed.
In Gullah Geechee communities, a "tell-it" was a designated lookout, community warning system and the most trusted source for news and information. The Tell-It Report is ContrabandCamp’s weekly roundup of the Black stories that deserve more attention — from politics to entertainment.
Former Columbus, Ohio, police officer Adam Coy was sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 murder of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man holding his phone and keys while in a garage. The bodycam video of the shooting went viral when it was released.
Amazon Labor Union co-founder Chris Smalls returned to the U.S. on Friday after being held captive by Israeli forces.
An investigation by The Gothamist found that New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign submitted dozens of fraudulent signatures in an effort to get him on the November ballot as an Independent.
Read the full stories below:
Former Ohio cop who fatally shot Andre Hill sentenced to life
A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer was sentenced to life in prison for the death of Andre Hill, an unarmed 47-year-old Black man whom he fatally shot after mistaking his phone and keys for a gun, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Adam Coy — who was found guilty of murder in November, the first Columbus officer to be convicted in an on-duty death, according to The Dispatch — shot Hill four times in a garage while responding to a neighbor’s call about a parked vehicle that had been running intermittently for a few hours, according to NBC News.
The ex-cop told the court that he believed Hill was holding a silver revolver when he shot him in December 2020. According to CBS News, body camera footage showed Hill exiting his friend’s house while holding up his phone in his left hand seconds before Coy shot him. Cops at the scene didn’t begin administering aid until nearly 10 minutes afterwards.
"I feel my actions were justified," Coy said in court last week. "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." He’ll be eligible for parole in 15 years. He also said that he plans to appeal.
Shawna Barnet, Hill’s sister, said this is about accountability, not vengeance.
"He was a source of joy, laughter and strength. His life was taken in the most brutal and unjust way. Without cause, without mercy," Barnett said. "He died alone, unarmed and undeserving of what happened to him. Our lives are split into before and after, and we are left with pain that does not fade."
Columbus reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family. The city council also approved Andre’s Law, which requires officers to have their body cameras on and to provide immediate medical assistance until medical personnel arrive.
Labor activist Chris Smalls returns home after being captured by Israeli forces
Chris Smalls landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday after being captured and held by Israeli militia while delivering aid to Gaza.
Smalls, who led Amazon workers to unionize, was one of 21 activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition detained while in international waters on July 27, according to CBS News.
“The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that upon arrival in Israeli custody, U.S. human rights defender, Christian Small, was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals,” the group shared on Instagram. “They choked him and kicked him, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back.”
The group noted that the level of force used against Smalls “was not used against other abducted activists.” They’re demanding accountability for the discrimination he faced.
The flotilla included unarmed civilians from 12 countries and aid for Palestinians in dire need of nourishment, including baby formula, food and medicine, the group noted on social media.
Smalls and Tunisian activist Hatem Aouini were freed at the same time. For five days, Israeli forces held Smalls, the only Black activist aboard the vessel. Though Smalls didn’t divulge information about his treatment while held captive, he told the outlet that he was exhausted and had been on a hunger strike.
"Free Gaza. Free the people of Palestine. That's all it's about," the activist said at the time of his release.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the region has been cut off from critical resources, including food, water and medical resources. Palestinians are in the midst of an ongoing humanitarian crisis, as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said recent conditions have worsened after two years of Gaza teetering on the brink of famine.
Smalls told CBS News that they’ll be sending another flotilla to help with the crisis.
"Another one after that. And we're never gonna quit and give up," he added.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign accused of forging petition signatures to run as an independent
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is at the center of yet another scandal after The Gothamist reported that his campaign submitted fake signatures in an effort to run for re-election as an independent candidate in November.
The outlet conducted an investigation in which it reviewed submitted signatures. It found people who said their signatures had been forged as well as people who said they signed petitions under deceptive pretences. Gothamist also reports, “In at least three instances, the campaign turned in signatures from dead people.”
In order to qualify as an independent on the ballot, state law requires mayoral candidates to submit 7,500 signatures. Adams hired third-party companies to gather signatures of registered New York City voters. His campaign turned in nearly 50,000 signatures.
The investigation uncovered 52 fraudulent signatures, while thousands more hadn’t been vetted due to time and resource constraints. The report also found that a single campaign worker collected more than 700 signatures in one day, noting that there was “strikingly similar handwriting among many residents in a single building.”
Jahmela Brooks, who was out of the country the day her name was added to the petition, told Gathomist that she is “beyond angry” to learn her signature had been forged.
This discovery is unlikely to impact Adams’ eligibility to appear on the ballot. Former elections commissioner Douglas Kellner told The Gothamist, “Petition fraud is a crime, it’s a felony.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic Party nomination to Zohran Mamdani, and ex-prosecutor Jim Walden will also appear as an independent on the ballot this November. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is also up for election.
ICYMI
President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” pardoning Sean “Diddy” Combs ahead of his sentencing.
A white man is the first person charged under Richland County’s new hate crime law after allegedly firing a shot at a Black man who was jogging in an affluent neighborhood.
The first trailer was released for Andre Holland, Nicole Beharie and DeWanda Wise’s anticipated film “Love, Brooklyn,” in theaters Sept. 5.
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