The police officer, who is white, was fired after the shooting. He later testified in court that he believed Hill was holding a silver-colored revolver. It wasn't until he rolled over Hill's body and saw the keys that he realized there was no pistol, the police officer stated.
The police body cameras showed how Hill came out of the garage in a friend's house and held up a mobile phone in his left hand, while his right hand was not visible, just seconds before he was shot dead. It took almost ten minutes before the police on the scene began to help Hill, who was lying bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The prosecutors claimed that 47-year-old Hill had followed the police's instructions and never posed a threat to the police, who now risk at least 15 years in prison.