A Cincinnati man facing a possible death sentence for allegedly killing a sheriff’s deputy with his car has filed a $25 million federal lawsuit against the Cincinnati Police Department and Hamilton County officials, accusing them of excessive force, intimidation, and violating his constitutional rights during his arrest.
Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, is accused of intentionally running over retired Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson on May 2 near the University of Cincinnati, a day after police fatally shot Hinton’s 18-year-old son, Ryan. Prosecutors say Hinton’s actions were deliberate and motivated by anger over the killing of his son. Hinton has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges and remains held without bond in the Clermont County Jail.
Filed on May 8, the lawsuit claims that Hinton was physically assaulted while in custody, leaving him “visibly beaten” by the time he appeared in court. It further alleges that officers created a hostile and threatening environment during his arraignment by lining up in force behind him, an act described as “psychological warfare” designed to “intimidate, punish, and humiliate.”
“No reasonable law enforcement agency would subject a pretrial defendant to this level of physical restraint, humiliation, and psychological warfare absent a coordinated plan to discriminate, punish, and intimidate,” the lawsuit states.
A spokesperson for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the litigation, and Cincinnati Police have not responded to requests for comment.
“They did this wrong,” said Antoinette Holloway, a close associate of Hinton who filed the lawsuit on his behalf, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Though not a licensed attorney, Holloway said she is serving as his legal representative. “There’s no need to go any further than this,” she said. “Let him out.”
In addition to damages, Hinton is seeking attorney’s fees and a court order declaring that authorities violated his rights and demanding his release from custody.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said Hinton “targeted and killed” Deputy Henderson solely because he was a law enforcement officer. Hinton had just viewed police bodycam footage showing the fatal shooting of his son the day before, and was described by Detective Carl Beebe as “very distraught” and “agitated.”
According to court testimony, Hinton allegedly returned to the police station after seeing the video, then drove off. Moments later, he accelerated through an intersection where Henderson, wearing a reflective vest and managing traffic for a university graduation ceremony, was standing. Beebe testified that the impact launched Henderson “several feet into the air.” Henderson, a 33-year veteran of the sheriff’s office who was filling in for another officer that day, later died at the hospital.
The case has become a lightning rod in Cincinnati, drawing large crowds of officers and protestors to court hearings.
During Hinton’s May 3 arraignment, more than 30 deputies packed the courtroom in a show of force and lined up behind him. At a May 6 bond hearing, officers again filled the gallery. The presence of dozens of law enforcement personnel was cited in the lawsuit as part of a deliberate campaign to intimidate Hinton and undermine his right to a fair trial.
Hinton’s defense attorney, Clyde Bennett II, has indicated he may pursue an insanity defense, telling the judge that his client was not in his right mind during the incident.
“I don’t think he was a cop killer, I think he was not in his right mind, and I think he should be treated like any other mentally ill person that commits a crime,” Bennett said. “This is classic mental illness, criminal conduct.”
The courtroom proceedings have been tense and emotional.
During a May 6 hearing, chaos erupted as a man yelled, “That’s my brother, that’s my brother!” and had to be removed by police. Cries and screams from Hinton’s supporters filled the room as officers struggled to maintain order. Video footage captured the scuffle as dozens of family members and protestors clashed with authorities.
Outside the courtroom, Hinton’s family expressed anguish over the events that led to the deputy’s death and called attention to what they describe as the unjust killing of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton.
Theresa Larkin, Ryan’s aunt, tearfully defended her nephew: “Because we’re gonna get justice for Ryan, because what they did to him was not right.” She recalled Hinton’s emotional state after seeing the video of his son being gunned down. “It was like his soul wasn’t even in his body,” she said.
Ryan’s grandmother, Tonya Larkin, also spoke out, saying she wanted answers about the police shooting that took her grandson’s life. “I want to find out exactly what steps was taken and the protocol,” she said. “And if everything comes out that it’s not what it should have been, we need to do something about change and training and diversity and understanding us as a Black culture.”
The fateful chain of events began the morning of April 30, when officers with the department’s Fugitive Apprehension Squad located a stolen SUV on Warsaw Avenue in East Price Hill.
As officers approached, four suspects fled on foot. Body camera footage shows Ryan Hinton fall to the ground, then get up and continue fleeing. The footage does not clearly show a weapon, but officers claimed they saw him armed and heard a gun fall when he stumbled.
Ryan ran between two dumpsters, where another officer was waiting, his weapon drawn. “Gun!” the officer can be heard yelling just before the clatter of bullets. Ryan Hinton was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police claim they later recovered a gun with an extended magazine near the scene, as well as an additional magazine in Ryan’s sweatshirt pocket. Previously, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said there was no evidence the teen fired the weapon.
Theetge said another officer had warned that Ryan was armed, but acknowledged the body camera footage doesn’t fully confirm what officers claimed they saw. The shooting remains under investigation by the Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit.
“This community … our city and our county, has had two critical incidents in two days,” Theetge said at the time. “Let the investigations play out.”
But while Theetge urged patience, other officials took a much harder line.
Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober called the deputy’s death a targeted act.
“Rodney Hinton intentionally murdered a police officer,” Kober said—a statement that flouted the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Former FOP President Dan Hils then called for the death penalty, stating, “There isn’t enough circumstantial, or chance, to be anything else. I think every police official within 100 miles should make sure the local prosecutor knows that this should be a death penalty case,” he said, alluding to a potential change in venue for the trial.
When Officer Henderson was struck and killed, Hamilton County’s chief prosecutor issued a statement promising swift and decisive action.
“If the facts show this act was intentional, as the charge suggests, I will throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator,” Pillich said, while also urging the public to remain level-headed amid the tension and avoid “another tragedy.”
Michael Wright, the Hinton family’s attorney, called the situation “a tragedy all around,” saying the family is mourning both the deputy and Ryan. “They’ve lost a son, they’ve lost a grandchild, they’ve lost a brother,” he said, adding that the bodycam footage of Ryan’s shooting left Rodney Hinton “distraught and despondent.”
Though Deputy Henderson had no connection to the fatal police shooting, prosecutors believe Hinton randomly targeted him as a symbol of law enforcement.
The charges now facing Rodney Hinton Jr. paint a grim picture of alleged vigilante justice—a father, devastated by the police shooting of his son just one day earlier, accused of seizing an opportunity to take matters into his own hands, with deadly consequences.
