‘A Death Penalthy Case’: 30 Deputies Appear In Courtroom In Show of Force for Hearing of Father Charged with Murder of Deputy a Day After Police Killed His Son, Leaving Him ‘Distraught’
A man accused of avenging the shooting death of his 18-year-old son by intentionally running down a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy near the University of Cincinnati appeared before a judge Saturday in a courtroom packed with more than 30 law enforcement officers.
Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, was arraigned less than 24 hours after the deputy died from his injuries.
Charged with aggravated murder, Judge Tyrone Yates ordered Hinton held without bond at Clermont County Jail, citing safety concerns, and set his next hearing for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The charges now facing Hinton paint a grim picture of alleged vigilante justice —a father, devastated by the police shooting of his son just one day earlier, accused of seizing an opportunity to take matters into his own hands with deadly consequences.
Prosecutors say Hinton intentionally targeted the deputy around 1 p.m. on May 1 at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Burnet Woods Drive in Cincinnati. The deputy — whose name has not been released — was struck while working a traffic detail during the university’s graduation ceremony. He was rushed to UC Medical Center in critical condition and later died, according to reports by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Hinton stood mute during his court appearance, allowing his public defender to speak for him as dozens of uniformed deputies filled the courtroom in a powerful show of support for their fallen colleague.
Hinton’s defense attorney described the case as “an emotionally charged situation” and noted Hinton had no felony convictions prior to the incident. However, records show he pleaded guilty to assault and aggravated menacing in 2023 and was sentenced to probation and ordered to stay away from the victims.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge confirmed during a Friday press conference that Hinton is the father of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton, who was shot and killed by Cincinnati police just one day before the deputy died.
The fateful chain of events began the morning of April 30, when officers with the department’s Fugitive Apprehension Squad located a stolen SUV on Warsaw Avenue in East Price Hill.
As officers approached, four suspects fled on foot. Body camera footage shows Ryan Hinton fall to the ground, then get up and continue fleeing. The footage does not clearly show a weapon, but officers claimed they saw him armed and heard a gun fall when he stumbled.
Ryan ran between two dumpsters where another officer was waiting with his weapon drawn. “Gun!” the officer can be heard yelling just before the clatter of gunfire. Ryan Hinton was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police claim they later recovered a gun with an extended magazine near the scene, as well as an additional magazine in Ryan’s sweatshirt pocket. Chief Theetge said there is no evidence the teen fired the weapon.
Theetge said another officer warned that Ryan was armed, but acknowledged the body camera footage doesn’t fully confirm what officers claimed they saw. The shooting remains under investigation by the Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit.
“This community … our city and our county, has had two critical incidents in two days,” Theetge said. “Let the investigations play out.”
But while Theetge urged patience, other officials took a much harder line.
Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober called the deputy’s death the result of a targeted act.
“Rodney Hinton intentionally murdered a police officer,” Kober said.
Former FOP President Dan Hils then called for the death penalty, stating, “There isn’t enough circumstantial, or chance, to be anything else. I think every police official within 100 miles should make sure the local prosecutor knows that this should be a death penalty case,” he said, alluding to a potential change in venue for the trial.
Prosecutor Connie Pillich issued a statement promising swift and decisive action.
“If the facts show this act was intentional, as the charge suggests, I will throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator,” she said, while also urging the public to remain level-headed amid the tension and avoid “another tragedy.”
“This community… our city and our county, has had two critical incidents in two days. I do have a plea to everybody: Let the processes play out… take care of one another.”
Michael Wright, the Hinton family’s attorney, called the situation “a tragedy all around,” saying the family is mourning both the deputy and Ryan. “They’ve lost a son, they’ve lost a grandchild, they’ve lost a brother,” he said, adding that the bodycam footage of Ryan’s shooting left Rodney Hinton “distraught and despondent.”
Rodney Hinton’s social media reportedly included posts critical of police, including commentary on police-related killings like that of Nate Woods and Atatiana Jefferson.
Hinton also listed employment with First Student on his Facebook profile, but a spokesperson for the company clarified that he had only applied to work there and was not employed.
Both the officer-involved shooting and the deputy’s death remain under investigation by Cincinnati police’s Homicide Unit.