CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long is denying that the city has reached an agreement with the family of Ryan and Rodney Hinton Jr. after the city's top police union official claimed she was negotiating "a massive settlement" with the family.
FOP President Ken Kober told us a source inside City Hall contacted him about an alleged agreement made to pay the Hinton family.
Ryan Hinton, 18, was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer in May. One day later, officials said his father, Rodney Hinton Jr., ran over Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Larry Henderson, killing him. Rodney Hinton Jr. remains in jail, with his attorney saying he will enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity when he is re-arraigned Jan. 14.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced last summer that the officer who shot Ryan was legally justified in his use of force. While an attorney for his family initially announced they would file a civil lawsuit over his death, we have not heard any additional information about those efforts, and an attorney said no lawsuit has been filed.
"(The source said) they're gonna pay the Hinton family, which, in my opinion, is absolutely wrong," Kober said. "You know, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office cleared the officer of any wrongdoing whatsoever, and a member of that same family, the next day, murders a deputy in cold blood. And to pay them anything, in my opinion, is a slap in the face to law enforcement."
WATCH: We talked to Kober after his statement Thursday afternoon
However, Long said in a statement that news of a settlement with the family being reached is not true.
"The City has not reached a settlement agreement, and I vehemently reject the notion that any discussions are being rushed, are happening in secret, or are designed to keep information from City Council," the statement says. "I speak regularly with Mr. Kober, and we have had no prior conversations about this matter or his baseless allegations. Reckless, speculative, and highly inflammatory statements like these only do further harm to both our police officers and the wider Cincinnati community."
We also spoke with the Hinton's family attorney, who told us they have had ongoing communication with the city, "but (Kober's) representation is a complete surprise to me."
Kober said a settlement would "certainly outrage officers," sending a message "that crime does pay" in Cincinnati.
"They can say it's not true ... but when people from City Hall are calling me saying, 'You need to make this public to stop this before an agreement is completely finalized,' (it) tells you a lot about what's going on in City Hall," Kober said.
It's unclear how much this potential settlement will cost.
The Cincinnati Law Department is given funds in the city budget for settlements. A city spokesperson confirmed that as long as a settlement doesn't exceed the amount in the fund, it does not need to be approved by city council again.
City documents show $900,000 was approved for that fund for the current fiscal year.
We spoke to Cincinnati City Councilman Seth Walsh about the claims. He told us Long needs to be clear about what's going on.
WATCH: How city officials are reacting to the alleged possibility of a settlement
“This city administration has consistently not given clear information and answers to council members to the public, and we need that," Walsh said. “I can’t believe that we would even entertain [a settlement]. If our officers did nothing wrong, as we have said, given the severity and the enormity of what happened.”
Walsh told us he doesn't know if the potential settlement is "a real thing," but thinks it would be the wrong decision. He said he's frustrated with the idea that it could be real.
"There's a lot to have to work our way through, and I think the more transparent we can be in that, the better it's going to be for everybody," Walsh said.
Councilmember Anna Albi shared this statement on the situation:
"My experience has been when there is major or newsworthy legal action, the City Administration provides City Council a comprehensive overview of the situation, including whether Council involvement is needed."
Walsh said he was told council members are expected to go into executive session Monday to talk about Hinton, but was not made aware of exactly what would be discussed.
We reached out to the city for additional comment Friday. A spokesperson told us the city does not have anything more to share on the situation.
