Family to Sue After Prosecutor Rules Ryan Hinton Shooting Justified

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The family of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton says they plan to file a civil lawsuit after Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced Tuesday that the Cincinnati police officer who fatally shot him on May 1st was legally justified in using deadly force.

During a press conference, Pillich said the evidence showed Hinton posed an immediate threat to officers.

“When Ryan Hinton was confronted by officers about a stolen car, he not only had a gun—with a fully loaded magazine and a bullet in the chamber—but he pointed it at Officer A,” Pillich stated, referring to the officer using a pseudonym due to Marsy’s Law protections. “Officer A made a split-second decision that likely saved his life and the lives of other officers.”

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Pillich said that she alone made the final call not to present the case to a grand jury.

“I am the only person responsible for this decision,” she said, adding, “This is the fourth officer-involved shooting during my tenure and none have been presented to a grand jury.”

According to Pillich, her office reviewed body camera footage, forensics, audio evidence, and statements before concluding that the officer acted lawfully.

“When you watch a video in split-second time, through a distorted wide-angle lens, people could reach lots of different conclusions,” Pillich said when asked about public perception. “That’s why we didn’t rush—we took our time and reviewed everything.”

But the Hinton family and their attorney say they’re not accepting the decision.

“We did not see justice from the criminal justice system,” said attorney Fanon Rucker of The Cochran Firm, speaking on the family’s behalf. “But justice is still going to be obtained, and we’re here to ensure that.”

Rucker criticized the prosecutor for bypassing the grand jury process, something he says is standard in other jurisdictions. “There are neighboring counties that take every police-involved shooting, every homicide, to a grand jury. This case should have been no different,” he said.

The shooting took place around 3:30AM on Warsaw Avenue in East Price Hill, when officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. According to Cincinnati Police, several individuals fled the vehicle as officers approached. Hinton was reportedly armed, and officers said he dropped the gun while running, then retrieved it and continued to flee. Another officer running for one of the others fired four to five shots, hitting Hinton. He later died from his injuries.

Police recovered a handgun with an extended magazine at the scene and another magazine in Hinton’s pocket. The stolen car was a Kia reportedly from Northern Kentucky.

The preliminary autopsy report from the Hamilton County Coroner showed that Hinton suffered three gunshot wounds, one to his forearm and two to the chest. Only one bullet was recovered during the autopsy.

Ryan’s cousin, Marlin Howard, also spoke emotionally at the press conference. “We miss you and love you down here, man,” he said. “But I just want to say, that prosecutor—what all she said—I felt like it was a complete joke. I mean, we all seen Ryan running. How can you be threatened by somebody running?”

Rucker added that the legal team has obtained information about the officers on the scene that has not yet been released publicly and confirmed that the family will pursue a civil case in the coming weeks.

While Pillich said the officer acted within the law, the Hinton family is hoping that another group of citizens—a civil jury—will be the ones to determine whether Ryan’s death was justified.