Two tragic events that took place a day and several neighborhoods apart share a family link, Cincinnati police say.
CPD Chief Teresa Theetge said at a news conference Friday evening that the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy earlier that day is the father of a person who Cincinnati police shot and killed Thursday morning as he fled from a stolen vehicle.
Theetge said Rodney Hinton, Jr., 38, drove his vehicle off Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive at Burnet Woods Drive, striking a deputy working a traffic detail during the University of Cincinnati's commencement ceremonies. The deputy died a short time later. Hinton has been arrested and charged with aggravated murder, police say.
The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office has not identified the deputy, but says he recently retired and was beloved by his colleagues.
"It is a very sad day," Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said at the evening news conference. "He was so well-liked and so well-known that we could fill this building with the law enforcement agencies that respect him, love him, his friends, his family."
Earlier in the day, CPD held a news conference to discuss the shooting death of Ryan Hinton, 18, who officials now say was Rodney Hinton, Jr.'s son.
At that news conference, Theetge said the younger Hinton was one of four people to exit a stolen vehicle reported at an East Price Hill apartment complex Thursday morning. The four suspects ran in different directions. Theetge said officers saw Hinton with a gun.
Police showed body camera footage of the incident at the news conference. No gun is apparent in that footage, which shows Hinton running from one officer between two dumpsters while another officer approaches from the other direction. The first officer shouts to the second that the suspect has a gun.
In the footage, Hinton falls briefly, then gets up and runs between the dumpsters. Seconds after he emerges from the other side, the second officer fires four rounds, hitting him twice.
Theetge said Hinton was shot once in the chest and once through the arm and side. Aid was rendered at the scene but Hinton died. Police say they found a semi-automatic pistol next to Hinton with a full magazine in it. Theetge displayed photos of the weapon during the news conference. Another magazine was found in Hinton's sweatshirt, officers say. Theetge said there isn't evidence Hinton fired the weapon.
The chase transpired quickly, with about six seconds elapsing between when the officer who shot Hinton leaves his cruiser and when he fires his gun. Theetge acknowledged the footage is blurry, but said the officer reported Hinton had pointed the gun at him as he emerged from behind the dumpsters.
CPD policy prohibits officers from using deadly force on fleeing suspects because it is unconstitutional unless the person escaping poses immediate danger to those around them. Theetge said the officer expressed fear for his life.
"If they feel like their life or somebody else's life is in danger, they have a responsibility to stop that threat," she said. "I cannot answer how every situation should be resolved. It's based on the officers, and some of that includes their training, their experience, their tenure."
CPD is not identifying the officer, citing Marsy's Law. Theetge said responding officers were uniformed police, some members of the department's fugitive apprehension squad.
It's still unclear how exactly the two incidents are linked. Hinton was arraigned Saturday morning and is being held in Clermont County Jail until his bond hearing Tuesday.
At his arraignment, prosecutors argued Hinton purposely hit and killed the deputy with his vehicle. Dozens of sheriff's deputies attended the hearing.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich released a statement urging the community to have patience and let the facts come out.
"The investigation is ongoing, but if the facts show this act was intentional, as the [aggravated murder] charge suggests, I will throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator," the statement said. "I implore people not to act rashly so there is not another tragedy."
This story has been updated.