CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association is calling out GoFundMe for allowing fundraising pages supporting Rodney Hinton Jr., the man accused of intentionally striking and killing a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy with his vehicle, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Hinton, 38, is the father of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton, who was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer on May 1. A day after viewing police body camera footage of the shooting alongside family members at the Cincinnati police chief’s office, Hinton allegedly drove into an intersection near the University of Cincinnati and struck Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing traffic on graduation day.
Authorities, including Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, said the crash appeared to be intentional. A prosecutor in court added that evidence and witness accounts would show Hinton drove directly at the deputy “in an attempt to kill him.”
The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association — representing all sheriffs in Ohio, over 3,000 deputies and 17,000 private citizens — issued a statement condemning the fundraising efforts in support of Hinton. The association labeled Hinton a “cop killer” and said he taunted deputies during his court appearance.
“Hinton and his family and friends should not benefit at the expense of a law enforcement officer that was doing the job he was hired to perform,” the association said in the statement.
The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio also condemned the fundraisers.
“This is absolutely outrageous, to fundraise off the assassination of a law enforcement officer,” said Jay McDonald, president of FOP Ohio.
Kayln Lee, a GoFundMe spokesperson, told the Enquirer that the organization’s terms of service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.
“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,” Lee stated.
Emily Barson, director of policy and engagement at GoFundMe, has since reached out to FOP Ohio. In a statement, Barson said that GoFundMe continues to remove a number of campaigns that violate the platform’s terms of service policy.
“I can assure you that there will be zero tolerance for this type of behavior on our platform. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a fundraiser on our platform, or if you come across a campaign that you believe should be removed, please send it to me directly. You can consider me your direct line to GoFundMe, and we will resolve the matter as quickly as possible,” Barson said.
GoFundMe has since removed the initial fundraiser.
