CNN
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Rodney Hinton Jr., who authorities say intentionally hit and killed an Ohio sheriff’s deputy with a car after his son was fatally shot by police, will remain in jail without bond while he awaits trial on a murder charge.
Hinton Jr. was denied bond at a Tuesday court hearing in Cincinnati. He is charged with aggravated murder for the May 2 killing of Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson.
“There will be an order of remand with no bond. Please assure the safety of the defendant and any mental health treatment that can be granted,” Hamilton County Municipal Judge Tyrone Yates said.
The hearing is the latest development in a case that began last week when Cincinnati police shot and killed Hinton Jr.’s son. Police said 18-year-old Ryan Hinton was one of four men who were fleeing after officers found them in a stolen car, and that he was armed when he ran.
Hinton Jr.’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, entered a plea of not guilty on his client’s behalf and requested bail. During Tuesday’s hearing, Bennett asked for Hinton Jr. not to be thought of as a “cop-killer” but a person with mental illness.
“I don’t think he was a cop killer. I think he’s not in his right mind,” Bennett said. “And I think he should be treated like any other mentally ill person that commits a crime under the auspices, control and authority of a mental defect in the condition.”
As the hearing began, a disturbance erupted in the gallery and Hinton Jr. was rushed out of the courtroom by law enforcement. A man yelled, “I just want my brother to see me.” The hearing resumed after the man was escorted out and Hinton Jr. was brought back into the courtroom. Bennett told Yates that to his knowledge, the man was not Hinton Jr.’s brother.
Prosecuting attorney Ryan Nelson requested the judge deny bail and presented testimony from a Cincinnati police officer who said Hinton Jr. had met with police officers and watched body-worn camera footage of the shooting death of his son on the day of the incident.
The Cincinnati Police Department has said his son, Ryan Hinton, appeared to point a gun at an officer while fleeing last week, but the officer’s body camera footage does not clearly capture the moment.
After the meeting, Officer Carl Beebe said Hinton Jr. left the parking lot of the police building, and briefly returned, before driving away. Hinton Jr. was “very distraught” after seeing the footage of his son, an attorney for the family, Michael Wright told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Beebe then described the fatal collision: “Based on witness statements as well as the video, the vehicle accelerated quickly, proceeded eastbound, crossed into the oncoming lanes of traffic … directly at where deputy Henderson was standing,” and struck the deputy.
There was no evidence of skid marks or any other signs indicating Hinton Jr. tried to stop, according to Beebe.
“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.
On cross examination by Bennett, Beebe said he would assume Hinton Jr.’s “source of the agitation,” as Bennett put it, was watching the body camera video.
Nelson argued Hinton Jr. “in his current state is a giant mental health question mark, has clear and present danger and poses substantial risk of physical harm to law enforcement officers and to the public, as evidenced by his conduct.”
While Bennett pointed out that Hinton Jr. lacks any previous felony convictions, lives in the area and has family ties, the judge ordered him to be held without bond.
“I find it very difficult to figure out how there could be any decision based on what they said that would protect the public and the defendant under these circumstances,” Yates said.
Hinton Jr.’s next court date is May 12.
Meanwhile, Hinton’s family is looking for answers about Ryan Hinton’s death.
In a news conference Monday, Wright said he has filed a public records request on behalf of the family for the body camera footage and police reports of the other officers who were present when Ryan Hinton was shot.
“We’re going to analyze frame by frame in each one of these videos to determine why the officer made that deadly decision to shoot and kill Ryan,” Wright said.
