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A violent chain of events: Man accused of killing deputy day after police shot his son
A bizarre and violent chain of events that stretched over two days ended May 2 when a man killed a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy by driving his car into him while he directed traffic outside the University of Cincinnati's commencement ceremony.Police said the driver of the car, Rodney Hinton Jr., is the father of a man who was shot and killed by Cincinnati Police in East Price Hill on May 1. Authorities have not identified the police officers involved in the shooting or the deputy who was struck at UC, citing Marsy’s Law, legislation meant to protect victims of crimes.
The fatal crash at UC came roughly two hours after the Hinton family reviewed police body camera footage of an officer shooting Hinton's 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, near the Westview Condominiums' parking lot, said the family's attorney, Michael Wright.
"This was a horrific tragedy," Wright said, referring to the crash at UC. "Our hearts go out to the law enforcement officer."
He said he could not speculate on the intentions of the father, but Wright said he became distraught after watching some of the police body camera video of his son's fatal shooting.
"He couldn't finish watching the video," Wright said. "It was very difficult to watch for the family."
Police said the incident involving Ryan Hinton began around 9:30 a.m. May 1 when officers went to the East Price Hill condominiums' parking lot to investigate reports of a stolen Kia Telluride.
Police, who tracked the car from Edgewood, Kentucky, to the parking lot in East Price Hill by monitoring its GPS system, arrived to find four people inside the vehicle. Two body camera videos released by Cincinnati Police show that when officers ordered everyone out of the car, one young man, later identified as Ryan Hinton, fled toward a wooded area.
Hinton was carrying a gun, police said.
An officer on the video can be heard shouting, "He's got a gun! He's got a gun!" as the teenager ran. Seconds later, five shots ring out.
The shaky body camera images from the officer who fired the shots show the suspect running between two dumpsters and then past the officer. He does not appear to stop or to face the officer directly, but Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the officer told investigators the suspect pointed the gun at him.
Hinton was struck twice by gunfire, once in the chest and once in the arm, police said. Theetge said there is no indication he fired any shots at police, but she said the gun was loaded with an extended magazine.
A little more than 24 hours later, police said, Hinton's father drove his car into the sheriff's deputy, who was outside of his cruiser operating a traffic light around 1 p.m. near the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Burnet Woods.
Traffic in the area was heavy because UC's commencement was set to begin at 3 p.m. The car that struck the deputy drove onto a sidewalk and into a light pole, where it came to rest.
The deputy, who was retired but working a special traffic detail for UC's commencement, was pronounced dead a few hours later at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Rodney Hinton was taken to the same hospital and was also listed in critical condition, though authorities have indicated his injuries are not severe.
Police charged Hinton with aggravated murder shortly after the deputy died.
Although police have not released the deputy's name, praise for him and his work came quickly as word spread among his friends and colleagues. Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey described him as a “tremendous person.”
“He was so well-liked and well-known,” McGuffey said, with her voice shaking at times. She said the deputy had retired from the sheriff’s office, but still assisted as a “special deputy.”
“We’ll need support. Please support us,” McGuffey said.
Others who knew the deputy took to social media to commemorate his life and public service.
“This is devastating. I had worked with him since we were young cops,” Newtown police Chief Tom Synan said in a Facebook post. “Always one of the first to check on and help you. You didn’t need to ask for him, he was already there.
A violent chain of events: Man accused of killing deputy day after police shot his son
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