Father of man killed by Cincinnati police runs down sheriff's deputy the next day, killing him

CINCINNATI, OH- In a tragic turn of events, a man whose son was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer last Thursday finds himself in jail after he deliberately ran down a county deputy who was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati Friday, the Associated Press (AP) reports. 

Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, was charged with aggravated murder in the deputy’s death, police said. Investigators said the crash appeared intentional. The deputy’s name was not released due to an Ohio law protecting the names of crime victims. 

On Saturday, Hinton appeared in court with several sheriff's deputies also present in the room. Prosecutors said that evidence and witnesses will show that Hinton deliberately drove at the deputy in an attempt to kill him. Hinton was ordered held until another hearing on Tuesday. An attorney representing Hilton told the court that he has no prior felonies and realizes it is a serious charge, according to WLWT-TV. 

In a statement, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he was “sickened by what appears to be an intentional act of violence.” 

The chain of events began on Thursday when Ryan Hinton, 18, was shot and killed by a police officer investigating a stolen car complaint. Initial accounts show that police officers believed Hinton had a gun in his possession. Police shot Hinton twice, fatally wounding him. 

The officer who fired at Hinton told investigators that Hinton pointed a gun at him during the chase, according to Cincinnati’s police chief Teresa Theetge.  

Body camera footage released by police showed one officer saying, “he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun” before the shots were fired as Hinton ran behind an apartment complex. Theetge said it didn’t appear Hinton fired at police before he was shot, not a requirement for use of deadly force. 

During the Friday news conference, Cincinnati police showed photos of a semiautomatic handgun that Hinton was carrying, along with another gun found inside the car. In blurred images contained within the bodycam video, it didn’t appear to show Hinton pointing the gun at officers as he ran. However, the officer told investigators he had the firearm in front of him, it was pointed at the officer, and he feared for his life. 

Just hours before the crash, Rodney Hinton and other families met at the police chief’s office to view a police body camera video of the incident where his son was shot, according to Michael Wright, an attorney hired by Hinton’s family. Rodney Hinton could not make it through the entire video, Wright said, and didn’t say anything during the viewing. 

“He was distraught, he was upset,” Wright said Saturday. He is not representing Hinton on the charges related to the deputy’s murder. 

In a statement issued after the deputy was run down, the law firm offered condolences to the family and colleagues of the deputy who was run down in cold blood, calling it “an unimaginable tragedy” for the community. They further said Hinton’s family was heartbroken by the events and devastated for the deputy’s family, the AP said. Witnesses said Rodney Hinton deliberately ran down the deputy. 

The deputy retired from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department only a few months ago. However, Sheriff Charmain McGuffey said he was continuing to work off-duty assignments. 

“He was so well-liked and so well-known,” McGuffey said. “What a tremendous loss we have all suffered.” 

WBNS reported that the crash was still under investigation. 

“If the facts show this act was intentional, as the charge suggests, I will throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator,” Hamilton County prosecutor Connie Pillich said in a statement.