Rodney Hinton Jr justice for his son Ryan Hinton ends up with Ohio dad running over and killing Larry Henderson, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy as a court denies the father bond as his lawyer argues the father is not a cop killer and had been responding ’emotionally’ to released video of his son shot dead by cops.
A lawyer for a Cincinnati, Ohio man accused of intentionally running over a sheriff’s deputy and killing him last week is not a ‘cop killer,’ insisting that his client was not in his right mind and mentally ill.
The claim came amidst a contentious bond hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Rodney L. Hinton Jr ought to be offered bail after fatally striking a former Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy who was directing traffic with his car after his son was shot and killed by police one day prior.
‘An eye for an eye….?’
Judge Tyrone Yates denied the request, instead ordering Rodney Hinton Jr be be remanded with no bond in connection with the death of Hamilton County special deputy Larry Henderson. Hinton, who is charged with aggravated murder, pleaded not guilty.
Before entering a plea, a commotion erupted in the courtroom’s gallery when Hinton’s brother started yelling, ‘That’s my brother, that’s my brother.’ More than 50 police officers and at least three dozen family members and protesters were seated in the gallery.
Deputies immediately escorted Hinton out of the room following the end of the bond hearing, WCPO reported.
Authorities accused Hinton of intentionally hitting Henderson on Friday afternoon as he was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati during graduation. The deputy was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey described Henderson as a ‘tremendous person’ who retired from the department in December and had been working a special detail for the University of Cincinnati commencement ceremonies only to be fatally struck by Hinton as he directed traffic on Friday.
‘We are so deeply saddened,’ McGuffey said at a Friday news conference. ‘He was so well-liked and so well-known.’
Ryan Hinton Jr lawyer: ‘my client is not a cop killer!’
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge told reporters on Friday that there was a definite connection between the collision and Thursday’s fatal police shooting of Hinton’s 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton.
Ryan Hinton was killed by a Cincinnati police officer who responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at an apartment complex, authorities said. Theetge said that four people in the alleged stolen car ran, some in different directions, after police approached them. Two officers pursued the teen observed to be in possession of a pistol and who had at one point allegedly pointed the weapon at pursuing officers, authorities said according to the Cincinnati Inquirer.
Cincinnati Police Department homicide detective Carl Beebe testified during Tuesday’s bond hearing that Rodney Hinton had viewed body camera footage of the shooting just 2 and half hours before the father running over Henderson circa 12.49 p.m.
Authorities said the gun was recovered at the scene. Theetge on Friday defended the officer’s actions, saying that they often have to make ‘split-second decisions to protect others and themselves when faced with immediate threats.’
‘Let me be very direct: We cannot allow individuals to flee from officers with a loaded firearm aimed at them,’ Theetge said. ‘When this happens, the outcome is almost always tragic. No one wins, and everyone involved is affected.’
Rodney Hinton Jr bond hearing: ‘Ohio dad was upset’
The officer who shot Ryan Hinton has not been named.
Family members said the older Hinton was ‘upset’ and ‘agitated’ after viewing the video, and they had concerns about him driving, Officer Beebe said during the Tuesday bond hearing.
Because of their concerns, relatives drove Hinton from the station, but he later returned to pick up his vehicle from the parking lot, Beebe said.
From there, Hinton drove toward the university and appeared to stop before he allegedly ‘accelerated quickly … through the intersection where deputy Henderson was standing,’ Beebe said. The vehicle struck the deputy and a utility pole, according to Beebe, who said there was no indication that Hinton tried to stop.
Henderson was ‘launched several feet through the air,’ the officer said.
‘He came to rest in a turn lane several feet from where the collision occurred,’ Beebe said.
‘There was no evidence of skid marks or any other signs indicating Hinton Jr. tried to stop,’ Beebe said.
‘We believe, based on our investigation and the witnesses that we spoke to up to this point, that Hinton left our office and was traveling and came upon deputy Henderson and made an intentional decision to drive directly at deputy Henderson and strike him and kill him,’ Beebe said.
Ohio dad seeks justice for his son killed by Cincinnati cops- but at what cost?
Prosecuting attorney Ryan Nelson described the killing of Henderson as deliberate, stating that the father had done so ‘in a way that was calculated and premeditated lined up his car, deliberately accelerated his car and purposely caused the death of an on-duty deputy sheriff.’
In its argument for no bond, the state said Hinton was a ‘giant mental health question mark’ and a danger to law enforcement and the public, and cited past run-ins with the law, including a domestic violence incident and assault convictions.
Rodney’s attorney, Clyde Bennett, entering a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client, argued Hinton had responded to what he described as an ’emotionally charged’ situation, following the shooting death of his son by police officers just one day earlier.
Bennett said at the hearing he wanted to make sure that his client was ‘treated as a mentally ill person and not as a cop killer.’
‘I don’t think he was a cop killer, I think he was not in his right mind and I think he should be treated like any other mentally ill person that commits a crime,’ he said.
The lawyer further stated Hinton Jr. lacking any previous felony convictions, living in the area and having family ties
Family members responding to the father’s arrest claimed that Rodney Hinton had been deeply unsettled after watching the release of bodycam video showing his son, Ryan being shot by pursuing police and the father’s resolve to see justice for his son.
Explained Theresa Larkin, Ryan Hinton’s aunt, ‘I don’t want my nephew’s name to get swept underneath the rug because of this.’
‘Because we’re gonna get justice for Ryan because what they did to him was not right,’ she said.
But at what cost justice if it involves taking the law into one’s own hands? And against an innocent member of the police force?
Rodney Hinton Jr continues to remain held at Clermont County jail without bond. Hinton Jr.’s next court date is May 12.
