Man indicted in killing of Hamilton County deputy; prosecutors seek death penalty
A man accused of hitting and killing a Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy has been indicted and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich made the announcement Thursday during a news conference.
Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, has been indicted on two counts of aggravated murder, one count of murder, and two counts of felonious assault.
The aggravated murder charges carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Hinton is accused of intentionally running down and killing Henderson as he was working a special traffic detail at the University of Cincinnati on graduation day last Friday.
Hinton Jr. was at the police station earlier that day when he and his family were shown body camera footage from a police shooting the day prior, where his son, Ryan Hinton, was shot and killed by a Cincinnati officer. The shooting happened while police were pursuing suspects who fled a stolen car. Police said Ryan Hinton was armed with a gun when he fled from officers.
Pillich gave a timeline of events that transpired that day:
- 9:33 a.m.: Hinton arrived at the police department
- 9:51 p.m.: Hinton got upset and left the building
- 10:37 a.m.: Hinton left with family members, instead of in his own car, which he drove there
- 12:41 p.m.: Hinton returned to pick up his car
- 12:44 p.m.: Hinton left
- 12:49 p.m.: Hinton returned to the police department and drove through the parking lot
- 12:50 p.m.: Hinton left again and headed toward UC campus, with his family following him the entire way
Pillich said evidence shows Hinton Jr. drove onto Martin Luther King Drive, where Henderson was directing traffic.
Prosecutors say he intentionally pointed his vehicle toward the deputy and hit the accelerator.
Pillich said Henderson was in uniform, wearing a fluorescent vest.
Pillich said Hinton Jr. stopped and waited for traffic to clear before crossing multiple lanes of traffic at a high rate of speed, "targeting the deputy." Pillich said Hinton Jr. struck Henderson and crashed into a pole before coming to a stop. Henderson was taken to the hospital, where he died later that night.
"This was a targeted killing of an innocent deputy who was working to protect and serve his community," Pillich said in a statement. "Additionally, Hinton put in danger the lives of many innocent people celebrating a momentous occasion in their lives - college graduation. This is a horrific crimes and my office is treating it as such. This bylaw carries with it the potential death penalty."
Hinton appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge ordered he be held on no bond.
Pillich said the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the critical incident involving Hinton's son as a separate matter, as is routine.
"Please be patient as we review all the evidence," Pillich said.
See what we know about the police shooting here.