Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, expresses concerns that support for Rodney Hinton Jr., who is accused of killing an Ohio deputy, poses a 'target' on the backs of law enforcement officers.
Online support for Rodney Hinton Jr., the Ohio father accused of killing a sheriff's deputy one day after police fatally shot his son during a stolen vehicle pursuit, put a "target" on the backs of law enforcement officers, according to National Police Association spokesperson Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (Ret.).
Hinton Jr. is charged with aggravated murder after he allegedly "intentionally" struck retired Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati during a graduation ceremony, with a vehicle around 1 p.m. Friday, according to Cincinnati police.
Donors were giving thousands of dollars on GoFundMe pages for Hinton Jr.'s attorney costs and his son's funeral. Social media users have also been vocal in their support for both men.
GoFundMe has since taken down the GoFundMe page for Hinton Jr., which said on Monday that it raised about $5,000, but GoFundMe told Fox News Digital that the fundraiser "raised less than $600 total."
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Rodney Hinton Jr. is charged with aggravated murder after he allegedly "intentionally" struck Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati during a graduation ceremony. (© Liz Dufour/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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.
"No police officer wakes up in the morning and says, 'I hope I get to shoot somebody tonight,'" she said. "And this situation in Cincinnati is just another example of the false narrative that somehow it's the American law enforcement officer who is violent."
She added that social media posts backing Rodney Hinton's alleged actions "do nothing but put a target on the backs of law enforcement officers."
"This is what cops every day in America face."
Cincinnati Police Department Chief Teresa Theetge said officers were pursuing a vehicle stolen from an apartment complex when four individuals exited the stolen car and began to flee authorities.
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Rodney Hinton Jr. is charged with aggravated murder after he allegedly "intentionally" struck Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati during a graduation ceremony. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office)
One officer pursued Ryan Hinton, who was allegedly armed at the time and hid behind a dumpster. When Ryan emerged from the dumpster, the officer fired, fatally striking the 18-year-old suspect, Theetge said.
Two other suspects involved in the stolen vehicle incident have been apprehended, and one remains at large, according to Theetge.
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Cleveland police fatally shot Ryan Hinton on Thursday, May 1. (The Cochran Firm)
A since-deleted GoFundMe page titled "Justice for Rodney Hinton Jr and his Son" raised more than $5,000 and aimed to "help raise funds for Rodney Hinton Jr lawyer [sic] for the justice of his sons [sic] murder" and "also to stop police brutality against innocent people and children."
A separate GoFundMe page, which is still active, titled "Help Honor Ryan Hinton's Memory and Seek Justice," which aims to help the 18-year-old's family "seek justice for Ryan in the form of legal representation and a proper memorial for his life," has raised more than $25,000.
"GoFundMe's Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes," a company spokesperson said. "Consistent with this long-standing policy, any fundraisers for the legal defense of someone charged with a violent crime are removed from the platform and fully refunded."
Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Jay McDonald said in a Monday statement that Ryan's father, Rodney Hinton Jr., "intentionally murdered a retired deputy who was working special duty at a graduation just because he was a police officer."
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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.
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