A packed Ohio courtroom erupted in disorder as distraught family members of Rodney L. Hinton had to be subdued by police. Hinton, 38, fatally struck a deputy with his car on May 2 after seeing a video of his son being shot and killed by police.
Hinton was denied bond and pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder at the hearing on May 6, in which his defense attorney, Clyde Bennett, indicated he might mount an insanity defense for the grieving father.
Bennett told the judge he wanted to make sure that Hinton 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,” his attorney stated.
The courtroom chaos began before Hinton even entered his plea, when a man yelled out, “That’s my brother, that’s my brother!”
Cries and screams broke out in the gallery where some three dozen family members and protestors, along with 50 police officers, were in attendance. Officers jostled with some of Hinton’s supporters, forcefully removing one from the bond hearing, according to video footage obtained by NBC News.
Outside, Theresa Larkin, the aunt of slain teen Ryan Hinton, spoke to a reporter through tears after the hearing. She said she showed up to support Rodney and to make sure “my nephew’s name don’t 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.”
The pivotal issue in Hinton’s defense will be his emotional state of mind at the time of the officer’s killing. Larkin described to the outlet how the news of Ryan’s death impacted the father.
“I’ve known Rodney since I was 15 years old. That wasn’t the Rodney that I knew. It was like his soul wasn’t even in his body.” She continued, “And I can only imagine what he felt when he saw that video. Because when I finally seen it, and I watched that video from the beginning to the end and watched my nephew drop, it was like my soul left my body. So I can only imagine how his father felt.”
On the morning of May 1, 18-year-old Ryan was killed by an unidentified Cincinnati police officer who had responded to a call about a stolen vehicle at an apartment complex. According to the authorities, four suspects ran in different directions when they saw police arrive, and one officer fired on Ryan at least four times. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the officer who fatally shot Ryan had said the teen pointed a gun at him.
Body camera footage of the incident, which Hinton viewed, reportedly showed an officer pointing his gun at the teen, who appeared to be running away.
At the bond hearing, homicide detective Carl Beebe testified that Hinton saw the footage at the police station just prior to the fatal collision.
The victim, Larry Henderson, was a retired and beloved 33-year veteran of the Hamilton County police force. That day, he happened to fill in for someone on traffic duty during the busy commencement weekend at the University of Cincinnati.
According to Detective Beebe, Hinton allegedly left the station, briefly returned, and then drove away in “a very distraught” state. As he approached the University, he appeared to stop at first, but then “accelerated quickly … through the intersection where Deputy Henderson was standing.” Beebe testified that Henderson “launched several feet into the air” when he was struck. He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
Ryan’s grandmother, Tonya Larkin, spoke to WCPO, a local news outlet, wishing she could turn back the clock and erase the tragic events: “I can’t even express how I feel right now about — I’m angry, because it shouldn’t have ever happened.”
“I want to find out exactly what steps was taken and the protocol,” she said about her grandson’s shooting. “And if everything comes out that it’s not what it should have been, we need to do something about change and training and diversity and understanding us as a Black culture.”
Hinton’s next court date is set for May 12.
