Photo: Getty Images
An Ohio courtroom erupted in chaos amid a hearing for Rodney L. Hinton, a father accused of avenging the deadly police shooting of his teenage son, per NBC News.
Hinton is facing charges of aggravated murder after he allegedly fatally struck a deputy with his car. The deputy's killing came just hours after Hinton had viewed police footage of his 18-year-old son, Ryan, being shot and killed by an officer.
Authorities said Ryan was killed after he brandished a gun during a stolen vehicle investigation. A gun was recovered at the scene, but there's no evidence that Ryan ever fired the gun. Investigators said the shooting was justified because the teen allegedly pointed the gun in the officer's direction. Blurry police footage makes it unclear whether the teen was carrying the gun or pointing it at police at the time he was shot.
During a hearing on Tuesday (May 6), Hinton pleaded not guilty to the charges and was denied bond.
Hinton's attorney, Clyde Bennet, suggested that he would be mounting an insanity defense for the father.
“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,” Bennet said.
Hinton and other family members viewed police footage of the teenager's shooting on Friday (May 2).
Lawyer Michael Wright said Hinton was "understandably distraught" watching the moments leading up to Ryan's death.
"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," Wright said in a statement.
Dozens of family members and supporters attended Hinton's hearing on Tuesday, along with 50 police officers. Before Hinton entered his plea, a man yelled out, “That’s my brother, that’s my brother!”
Video from the hearing shows officers jostling with several Hinton supporters and even forcefully removing one of them from the courtroom.
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