What drives a grieving father to take a life just 24 hours after losing his own son?
In a heartbreaking and shocking sequence of events, a Cincinnati man fatally struck a sheriff’s deputy with his car, one day after his teenage son was killed by police.
Ryan Hinton, 18, died on May 1, 2025, during an exchange of gunfire with the police. This occurred while a stolen car was pursued in the East Price Hill area of Cincinnati. According to the police, the youth pointed at them with his weapon, and an officer responded by shooting. The circumstances of what occurred are questionable, though. Body cam footage is blurry, and there is no evidence Ryan ever pulled the trigger. Law enforcement officials did find a semiautomatic pistol near his corpse, but questions remain as to what actually occurred.
Subsequently, on May 2, 2025, disaster befell once again. Rodney Hinton Jr., the father of Ryan, reportedly ran his car into Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson. The deputy was guiding traffic outside the University of Cincinnati as part of a graduation celebration. Rodney allegedly acted intentionally, speeding his car into the deputy. Deputy Henderson, an off-duty officer, succumbed to the impact. A renowned trainer and respected member of the sheriff’s organization, the deputy is survived by many.
Rodney, 38, was reportedly overwhelmed with grief after watching the body camera footage of his son’s death. He now faces aggravated murder charges and is being held without bond. His next court appearance is set for May 6, 2025.
These back-to-back incidents have left Cincinnati reeling. Police Chief Teresa Theetge spoke about the community’s pain, saying,
“Our community is fragile right now. We need to come together and support each other.”
This marks the fourth police-involved shooting in the county this year, and the second one with a fatal outcome. Both cases are under active investigation, with the Cincinnati Police Department and the Hinton family’s attorneys digging into the details.
