Online support for Rodney Hinton Jr., the father from Ohio charged with the murder of a sheriff’s deputy, is creating increased risks for law enforcement officers, as stated by National Police Association spokesperson Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (Ret.). This comes after Hinton Jr. allegedly killed the deputy one day following the police shooting of his son during a chase involving a stolen car.
Prosecutors accuse Hinton Jr. of aggravated murder for supposedly “intentionally” hitting retired Deputy Larry Henderson with a car. The incident occurred when Henderson was managing traffic at a University of Cincinnati graduation event around 1 p.m. on Friday, Cincinnati police reported.
Recently, supporters have gathered financial backing through GoFundMe to aid Hinton Jr. with legal fees and cover funeral expenses for his son. Additionally, social media discussions have shown considerable backing for both Hinton Jr. and his son.
Brantner Smith told Fox News Digital that while everyone has a constitutional right to get legal representation in criminal cases, social media users seem to be promoting false information about the case “that somehow Rodney Hinton Jr. was unarmed and murdered by police, and nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.
Rodney Hinton, Jr., 38, is arraigned in Courtroom A at the Hamilton County Justice Center, Saturday, May 3, 2025. He’s charged with aggravated murder, allegedly after hitting a Hamilton County Sheriff deputy who was out of his vehicle directing traffic for the University of Cincinnati afternoon commencement. The incident happened on Martin Luther King Drive and Burnet Woods in Corryville. (© Liz Dufour/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK)
“His heinous and cowardly act shouldn’t be rewarded and celebrated like it is right now on GoFundMe. On behalf of all law enforcement officers, we demand GoFundMe stop honoring and profiting from a cop-killer who taunted deputies about the murder at his arraignment,” McDonald said.
GoFundMe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Hinton family’s attorneys told Fox News Digital in a statement that the Cochran Firm “was hired by Ryan Hinton’s estate 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 family’s attorneys said, adding that on Friday, Hinton family members and Cincinnati police attended a meeting together “to view body camera video of Ryan Hinton’s shooting death.”
Rodney Hinton Jr. is charged with aggravated murder in connection with Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson’s death. (Hamilton County)
“Ryan Hinton’s family, including Ryan’s father, was present at the meeting and they were understandably distraught as they watched the bodycam video,” the family’s attorneys said. “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.”
The attorneys offered their “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,” the attorneys said.
Workers fix the traffic lights at Martin Luther King Drive and Burnet Woods in Corryville, a day after a Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy was struck and killed while directing traffic for the University of Cincinnati commencement on May 2, 2025. Rodney Hinton, Jr., 38, has been charged with aggravated murder in the crash. (© Liz Dufour/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Rodney Hinton Sr., Ryan Hinton’s grandfather, said during a Monday afternoon press conference that he is “praying hard for the officer that killed” his grandson and recalled what he saw in the police bodycam footage of his grandson’s shooting death.
“I seen in the video…two scared people: I seen the officer scared, and I seen my grandson scared. So, it’s an unfortunate incident that happened,” Hinton Sr. said. “I didn’t see the police there trying to kill, kill, kill. No. All I seen is two people who made a mistake.”
Rodney Hinton Sr., Ryan Hinton’s grandfather, said during a Monday afternoon press conference that he is “praying hard for the officer that killed” his grandson and recalled what he saw in the police bodycam footage of his grandson’s shooting death. (WXIX)
Henderson was a 33-year officer with the HCSO and served in multiple specialized units since 1991, including the dive team, HCPA SWAT, FBI Task Force Officer and the HCSO Bomb Unit.
“In Deputy Henderson’s early tenure as a Sheriff’s Deputy, I recognized his talent for teaching and presentation,” Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said in a Sunday statement. “Larry began his journey as a Sheriff’s Office trainer early in his career. He developed an expertise and became an excellent trainer. Subsequently, he trained divisions of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that included hundreds of deputy sheriffs. His ability to relate to and touch officers’ lives was extraordinary. We will continue to honor Larry’s life of service.”
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine ordered flags be lowered to half-mast in Henderson’s honor on Sunday.
