CINCINNATI — The man suspected of driving into a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy and killing him made his first appearance in court Saturday morning. Members of the sheriff's department packed the courtroom to show their support for their late colleague.
Rodney Hinton Jr. is charged with aggravated murder, and appeared in court Saturday to hear the charges.
Hinton is the father of a man shot and killed by Cincinnati police officers on May 1. The following day, Hinton allegedly drove a car into the deputy while he was operating a traffic light at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Burnet Woods amid UC's commencement, killing him.
Following the shooting, the family of Ryan Hinton hired attorneys Michael Wright, Shean Williams, and Robert Gresham of The Cochran Firm, as well as Anthony Pierson of Pierson and Pierson, LLC, to conduct an investigation into his death.
"Our firm was hired by members of Ryan Hinton's family to conduct an investigation into his shooting death by an officer with the Cincinnati Police Department. We are in the preliminary stages of that investigation," the attorneys wrote in a statement sent to WCPO 9.
"Yesterday, we attended a meeting between the family and members of the Cincinnati Police Department to view body camera video of Ryan Hinton's shooting death. Ryan Hinton's family, including Ryan's father, was present at the meeting and they were understandably distraught as they watched the bodycam video. After the meeting with the police department, Ryan Hinton's father left in his own vehicle and that was the last we heard from him until learning about the tragic incident involving a law enforcement officer who was working a traffic detail near the University of Cincinnati. On behalf of Ryan Hinton's family, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and colleagues of the officer who was killed yesterday. This is an unimaginable tragedy for this community. Ryan Hinton's family is heartbroken by this tragic turn of events and we are all devastated for the family of the officer who was killed."
Watch as dozens of law enforcement stand guard at Rodney Hinton Jr.'s first court appearance:
The prosecution said in court that it is believed that Hinton "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."
The judge ordered that Hinton would be held without bail in the Clermont County jail until his bond hearing, set for Tuesday.
Watch as Rodney Hinton Jr. gestures to somebody watching his arraignment who makes a heart with their hands, seemingly in support of Hinton:
