A community in mourning convened to honor the life of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton in a poignant display of grief, releasing balloons into the Cincinnati sky. Wearing red to symbolize their collective heartache, the family and friends of the late teenager gathered as a testament to a life cut tragically short after a fatal encounter with police. The memorial, reported by Local 12, followed an officer-involved shooting incident tied to a stolen vehicle investigation on May 1.
Caught in a blurry body camera video during a six-second chase, Hinton was portrayed by the Cincinnati Police Department as wielding a gun at the time, which police say justified the subsequent fatal shots. Hinton's family, overwhelmed by their loss and the manner of his death, disputes the police narrative. His brother Diamonte Jackson, during a memorial service recounted by FOX19, argued that the video evidence does not support claims of Hinton posing a threat, saying, "They didn’t have to do that. They gave my brother 6 seconds to live."
This sentiment echoes throughout the family's calls for justice and transparency. Rodney Hinton Jr., Ryan Hinton’s father, is caught in a subsequent altercation with the law, himself accused of using his vehicle to fatally strike a sheriff's deputy, as reported by Local 12. Nevertheless, the younger Hinton's memory is still fiercely protected by his loved ones, who see the teenager's death as an avoidable tragedy.
The family's contention adds a layer of outrage that Ryan Hinton was simply running away when shot by police, a claim reinforced by comments from family members to WLWT. "That gun should have never been shot. It's clear as day that my brother was running away; he never once looked at that police officer," Diamonte Jackson told WLWT. Other relatives shared this perspective, with David Hambrick questioning, "The cop wasn't threatened. He was running from him. What was he threatened by?" Appeals for an independent investigation into the matter are resonating throughout the community, amplified by calls from the Cincinnati NAACP.
Zuri, Hinton’s younger sister, remembers him as a reliable sibling; others remember him as a life brimming with promise, now quelled.
