By Hanna Park, Taylor Romine and Kara Devlin, CNN
(CNN) — A Cincinnati sheriff’s deputy was fatally struck by a car driven by the father of an armed 18-year-old man who was shot and killed by police a day earlier, authorities say.
The driver “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,” prosecuting attorney Ryan Nelson said Saturday morning at the father’s arraignment.
“It appeared from everybody who was on the scene that he deliberately struck the deputy in an attempt to kill him,” Nelson said.
Prosecutors are seeking an indictment for aggravated murder, Nelson said.
Authorities have not said whether the suspect had any connection to the deputy.
The defendant, Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, is the father of a man who was fatally shot by Cincinnati police on Thursday morning, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said. On Friday night, police identified the 18-year-old as Ryan Hinton, according to CNN affiliate WCPO.
Hinton Jr.’s son was armed and fleeing from a stolen vehicle when a responding officer fatally shot him, police said. Police body cam footage does not clearly show whether the fleeing man pointed a gun at the officer.
The family reviewed the footage between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday, and the father was “very distraught,” according to Michael Wright, an attorney who was at the viewing of the footage, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. CNN has attempted to reach Wright.
Police said the deputy was killed at about 1 p.m. Friday.
Public defender Tom Ewing acknowledged an “emotionally charged situation” at the arraignment in a Hamilton County courtroom packed with law enforcement officers.
“I understand that there’s a lot of sadness and a lot of anger in this room right now an in the community at large,” he said, before requesting a “reasonable bond.”
The judge ordered Hinton Jr. held without bond until a hearing Tuesday.
The deputy was hit while directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati, where commencement was taking place, Theetge said.
“The officer was just out doing his job … for what was supposed to be a glorious day for many,” Theetge said. Responding police and fire officials transported the deputy to the university’s medical center, where he later died, according to a police statement.
The deputy, whom authorities are not naming in accordance with an Ohio law protecting crime victims’ rights, had recently retired but “continued on in service as a special deputy,” Theetge said. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine condemned the Hamilton County deputy’s killing.
“I have been briefed on the ongoing investigation and am sickened by what appears to be an intentional act of violence. We offer our sincere condolences to the deputy’s family, friends and colleagues,” DeWine wrote on social media.
Police shooting happened in ‘six quick seconds’
In a news conference Friday, Theetge detailed the police encounter on Thursday that resulted in the 18-year-old’s death, showing footage from the body cam of the officer who fired the fatal shots.
The man was among four suspects discovered in a stolen vehicle in a parking lot in Cincinnati’s East Price Hill neighborhood, Theetge said. All four fled when uniformed officers arrived, and the 18-year-old was seen holding a handgun, the chief said.
One of the officers shot the 18-year-old as he emerged from between two dumpsters, the body cam video showed. On the footage, moments before the shooting another officer can be heard yelling, “He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun! On your right! On your right!”
The officer said after the shooting that the 18-year-old appeared to point the gun at him, according to Theetge.
“When the individual came out between the dumpsters, he had the firearm in front of him. It was in like a bladed position, and it was pointed at the officer, and he (the officer) felt threatened for his life and that’s why he discharged his firearm,” the chief said.
Theetge said the officer is believed to have fired four to five shots, two of which are believed to have hit the teen.
The police body cam footage played at the news conference does not clearly show the fleeing man point a gun at the officer. Theetge acknowledged the footage is a “very blurred image, unfortunately” because the body cam was “kind of jolting as the officer is running.”
Police recovered a handgun with an extended clip they say the 18-year-old was carrying. Theetge said the gun had not been fired.
The officer who opened fire has been with the Cincinnati Police Department for more than 10 years and was assigned to the Fugitive Apprehension Squad in the department’s Special Investigations Section, Theetge said.
The chief said the officers tried “to save this gentleman’s life” by administering “different variations of medical aid” until other emergency officials arrived. She defended the officer’s actions, stressing how quickly the scene unfolded.
“I want to point out…from the time they bailed from the vehicle and police were chasing them to the time the individual was shot – six seconds. Six quick seconds,” Theetge said, calling it “unreasonable” to expect the officers “to process and determine a different course of action” in such a short time.
The shooting remains under investigation by the department’s homicide unit.
‘A tremendous loss we have all suffered’
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey described the fallen deputy as a beloved figure who had dedicated decades of his life to public service.
“He was so well-liked and so well-known, we could fill this building with the law enforcement agencies that respect him, love him, his friends, his family,” McGuffey said, adding, “What a tremendous loss we have all suffered.”
Theetge urged Cincinnati residents to remain patient as the city grapples with two critical incidents that unfolded over two days.
“I do have a plea to everybody. Let the processes play out. Let the investigations play out. Keep calm, take care of one another and I can assure you, as the chief of police for Cincinatti, I will ensure you transparency and a thorough and accurate investigation,” Theetge said.
The department held a procession Friday night to honor the deputy, CNN affiliate WLWT reported.
“He will not be alone,” McGuffey said. “There will be someone with him until the day that he transitions to higher ground.”
The Cincinnati Police Department is serving as the lead agency in the investigation into the deputy’s death, officials said.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.
Cincinnati police fatally shot an armed 18-year-old. The next day, his father killed a sheriff’s deputy, authorities say News Channel 3-12.
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