An Ohio police officer patrolling traffic for a college graduation was killed after a father, whose son died a day earlier at the hands of a different officer, allegedly ran him over.
The shocking crash occurred on Friday when the sheriff’s deputy was working traffic detail at a graduation ceremony for the University of Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge then revealed the alleged perpetrator as Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, whose son Ryan was killed in a police-involved shooting on Thursday.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey told reporters at a press conference that a police officer arrived on the scene to provide care for the deputy, who has not yet been named, but he was later pronounced dead.
McGuffey said that he had just retired a few months prior but had stayed on the force to help when needed.
The deputy’s death has stirred a strong reaction from colleagues on the force, including Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police Ken Kober, who called for the death penalty.
‘This horrific and intentional murder of a Hamilton County law enforcement officer is one of the worst things that I’ve ever seen in my career,’ Kober said.
‘There’s no room for anything less than the death penalty and we call on Prosecutor Pillich to confirm she will seek it,’ he added.
Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder after he allegedly ran over a police officer on traffic duty
The fatal crash came a day after Rodney Hinton’s son, Ryan, was killed by a police officer after he ran away from cops investigating an alleged stolen vehicle
Body camera footage showed a grainy video of Ryan Hinton running away from police officers before they shot and killed him. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the officer who fired his gun feared for his life
County Prosecutor Connie Pillich released a statement that said if the facts show Rodney’s actions were intentional, she would ‘throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator.’
Theetge encouraged the community to remain calm amid the two shocking back-to-back events in their city.
‘I do have a plea to everybody: Let the processes play out, let the investigations play out,’ Theetge said.
‘Keep calm, take care of one another, and I can assure you, as the chief of police for Cincinnati, I will assure you of transparency and a thorough and accurate investigation.’
Rodney’s son, Ryan, was shot and killed by a police officer on Thursday morning during an investigation of a stolen vehicle, Theetge said.
The deputies arrived at an apartment complex and located the alleged stolen vehicle, and four individuals jumped out of it.
The four people scattered as deputies attempted to chase after them. Blurry body camera footage then showed Ryan appear to trip and fall.
Theetge told reporters that at least one of the individuals had a gun, and the deputy who fired at Ryan feared for his life.
The deputy who was killed was a retired officer who had continued to work occasionally for the department. He was monitoring traffic for a college graduation when he was killed
The investigation into the events that led the officer to fire his weapon is ongoing. The police chief said the officer saw a weapon, which led him to grab his gun
Police played the footage at a press conference and said the interaction turned deadly in a matter of seconds.
‘The body camera is kind of jolting as the officer is running. What that leaves us with is a very blurred image, unfortunately,’ Theetge said.
The police chief added that based on interviews with the officers, the deputy who fired his gun said they saw Ryan in a ‘bladed position,’ meaning he allegedly had a weapon in his hand that faced the officer.
‘He [the officer] felt threatened for his life. And that’s why he discharged his firearm,’ Theetge added.
The officer can be heard yelling ‘gun’ before firing. Police believe the officer fired around four shots, two of which hit Ryan.
Ryan sustained injuries to his chest and side, with one bullet exiting his back and another going through his arm and into his side.
There is no indication that Ryan actually fired a gun and police acknowledged that the body camera footage doesn’t clearly depict the chain of events that led to the teen’s death.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge stood up for the officer who shot and killed Ryan Hinton, arguing that the deputy feared for his life
Officers found a handgun at the scene that they believe Ryan had on him when he was killed. A second magazine was found in his jacket pocket, and another gun was located in the alleged stolen vehicle
Officers did find a handgun near the scene and found a second magazine in his jacket pocket. Police also found a second gun in the vehicle that they believe was stolen.
A second individual who fled from cops remains at large, while the other two were arrested.
Jurell Austin, 18, and DeAnthony Bullucks, 19, were charged with obstruction and receiving stolen property. Austin also faces an unrelated charge of felony assault with a weapon.
Austin is held under a $25,000 bond, and Bullucks faces a $20,000 bond. Their next court date is scheduled for May 12.
Officers responded to an apartment complex and located a vehicle that was reported missing. They confronted the individuals inside, which led to a disastrous chain of events, resulting in two deaths
Two individuals were arrested at the scene, Ryan Hinton was shot by an officer, and the fourth individual escaped
Meanwhile, Rodney Hinton attended a bond hearing on Saturday morning with over 30 deputies in attendance, local Fox affiliate WXIX reported.
He sat with his assigned public defender, who argued that he had no felonies and was in an ’emotionally charged situation’ when the incident occurred.
Rodney was held without bond at the Clermont County Jail until his next court hearing on May 6.
DailyMail.com reached out to Cincinnati Police for an update on the case but didn’t immediately hear back.