Latest news with #ConniePillich
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration suggests hate crime charges after Cincinnati fight video
This story has been updated to reflect that Dominick Gerace II has been nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio but has not yet taken office. A federal prosecutor suggested local authorities should think about using federal hate crime law while handling a fight in downtown Cincinnati that went viral over the weekend. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, retweeted a post on X from Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and said, "Our federal hate crimes laws apply to ALL Americans." Dhillon said that the division will monitor how local authorities handle this incident. "Nobody in our great nation should be the victim of such a crime, and where race is a motivation, federal law may apply," she added. The Enquirer reached out to the office of the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio but did not immediately receive a response. President Donald Trump has nominated Dominick Gerace II to the position but he has not yet taken office. Connie Pillich will prosecute 'to the fullest extent of the law' Ohio has its own hate crime laws on the books that can increase the level of an offense if someone commits a crime based on the "race, color, religion, or national origin" of another person or group of people which the law calls "ethnic intimidation." Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said in a statement to The Enquirer that she will prosecute the attackers "to the fullest extent of the law." "I stand by my statement and, when I receive the police reports, I will determine what charges legally available to us to present to the Grand Jury," she said. Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@ @ee_glynn on X or @eringlynn on Bluesky. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati fight video: Trump, prosecutor on hate crime charges
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police ask Cincinnati brawl suspects to turn themselves in
(NewsNation) — Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced that five people face charges stemming from a violent brawl in the city's downtown, vowing that more is coming. Several angles of the fight went viral, with video showing a group surrounding and beating a man, and another angle showing a woman who appears to be knocked unconscious hitting her head on the concrete. People have blamed police for not being on site, but Theetge responded by saying only one person called 911. Photo of suspect in Devil's Den State Park killings released Officers were on the scene in six minutes, but by then the brawl was over. A number of suspects have been identified, and county prosecutor Connie Pillich said it is her understanding that two arrests have been made in connection with the brawl. Pillich previously acknowledged she will prosecute any suspects to the fullest extent of the law. Authorities are continuing to ask the suspects to turn themselves in. Theetge defended the police response, saying that police got a call at 3:06 a.m. and were on scene within six minutes. She also lashed out at the media in a press briefing. 'Another topic I want to cover real quick is social media and journalism and the role it plays in the incident,' she said. 'And yes guys, that's you. That is you. The social media post that we've seen does not depict the entire incident. That is one version of what occurred.' Many have slammed her and the city's response. Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor of Ohio, and he says it's unconscionable that there were no police present in that area of Cincinnati on a Friday night. Minnesota National Guard deployed over cyberattack He also questioned why there wasn't an ambulance to take the woman who was knocked unconscious to the hospital. Corey Bowman, half-brother to Vice President JD Vance, is running for mayor and blames the fight on mismanagement. 'We have to look at the root issue of this and that's mismanagement. We have this saying, that's trickle-down incompetence,' Bowman said. 'The incompetence is coming from the top down and we have to fix it.' One of the victims of the brawl, the woman who was knocked unconscious, is a single mother who was out celebrating a friend's birthday party that night. Authorities say she is doing okay. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
18-06-2025
- New York Times
Ohio Officer Won't Be Charged in Fatal Shooting of Teenager
A police officer in Cincinnati will not be charged in the fatal shooting of a teenager whose father is accused of intentionally striking and killing a sheriff's deputy with his car the day after his son's death, prosecutors said. Connie Pillich, the prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the officer, whom she did not identify, was 'legally justified in his use of force' and declined to send the case to a grand jury. The teenager, Ryan Hinton, was fatally shot by a police officer who was responding to a report of a stolen vehicle on May 1. Mr. Hinton had a fully loaded gun that he pointed at officers when they confronted him, Ms. Pillich said. 'I'm confident that my decision was based on every fact available and was made with due diligence and the utmost care,' the prosecutor said. Fanon A. Rucker, a lawyer for Mr. Hinton's family, said in remarks after the news conference that the family planned to file a lawsuit. The police were investigating a report of a stolen vehicle when they found Mr. Hinton and three other people in the stolen car. When officers approached the vehicle, the four men ran. One of the officers saw Mr. Hinton fall as he ran away and heard the sound of metal hitting the pavement, Ms. Pillich said. In audio from police dash camera footage played at the news conference, another responding officer can be heard yelling, 'He's got a gun,' before shots are fired. Ms. Pillich said the officer who had fired the fatal shots told investigators that he had heard the warning about the gun and saw Mr. Hinton point a gun at him, after which the officer fired his weapon. The father, Rodney L. Hinton, 38, is accused of intentionally driving his car into a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy who was directing traffic outside a University of Cincinnati graduation event on May 2, a day after the son's death, according to the prosecutor's office, which filed charges last month. A lawyer who had been representing the family said that they had gone to the Cincinnati police chief's office earlier that day to see the body-camera footage of the confrontation and that Mr. Hinton had become visibly upset and left before the video was over. The elder Mr. Hinton pleaded not guilty last month to two counts of aggravated murder, one count of murder and two counts of felonious assault. He faces the death penalty if he is convicted of aggravated murder. Clyde Bennett, Mr. Hinton's lawyer, said that he was being held without bond at the Clermont County jail.
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Associated Press
Cincinnati officer won't be charged in shooting death of teen who was holding a gun during a chase
CINCINNATI (AP) — A Cincinnati police officer will not be charged in the shooting death of an 18-year-old who was holding a gun and running from police who were responding to a call about a stolen car, a prosecutor said Tuesday. A day after the shooting, the teen's father struck and killed a county deputy with his car in what authorities have said was an intentional act. The father, who had watched body camera footage of the shooting just hours before the crash, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the deputy's death. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said a review of the May 1 shooting death of Ryan Hinton found that the officer was 'legally justified in his use of force.' Hinton had a fully loaded gun and pointed it at officers when they confronted him, Pillich said. The officer who fired told investigators that Hinton pointed the gun at him during a foot chase, Pillich said. Police released photos of a semiautomatic handgun that they said Hinton was carrying and another gun that was found in the car. One officer could be heard in body camera video released by police saying 'he's got a gun' before several shots were fired as Hinton was running behind an apartment complex. While blurred images released after the shooting did not clearly show Hinton pointing a gun, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the officer told investigators that Hinton had the gun in front of him and pointed at the officer. The officer said he feared for his life, the chief said. Police and the prosecutor did not release the name of the officer. An attorney representing Hinton's family said they disagreed with the prosecutor's findings and plan to file a lawsuit. Meanwhile, authorities have accused Hinton's father, Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, of running down a deputy who was not involved in his son's shooting. Deputy Larry Ray Henderson Jr. was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati when he was hit by a car that drove into an intersection, police said. Henderson was struck a few hours after Rodney Hinton Jr. and other family members watched police body camera footage showing the officer fatally shoot his son. Rodney Hinton Jr.'s attorney has said he is not guilty by reason of insanity.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Uneducated jackal': Prosecutor Connie Pillich Facebook post about Trump gets backlash
In a now-deleted post on her personal Facebook page, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said she will attend an upcoming anti-Trump protest and referred to the president as 'an incompetent, childish, selfish, uneducated jackal.' Pillich, the first Democrat to be elected prosecutor in the county in nearly a century, made the post sometime on Tuesday, June 10. It was still visible the evening of June 11. She had deleted it by early the following day. Pillich began by responding to a Facebook prompt that users see. 'What's on my mind? My job is to prosecute people who commit crimes,' Pillich wrote. 'But all this is against a backdrop of such unconstitutional lawlessness at the federal level by an incompetent, childish, selfish, uneducated jackal who threatens our very democracy every day. 'Even worse, he is backed up by vile humans whose acts and advice indicate they want to destroy our democracy.' The post shared an event listing for one of the 'No Kings' protests scheduled for June 14, which are taking place nationwide. "Please join me Saturday," she wrote above a link to the University of Cincinnati protest. A spokeswoman for Pillich did not respond to a request for comment. Many, particularly supporters of President Donald Trump, responded with outrage or worse, devolving into name-calling. The Hamilton County Republican Party's Facebook page said Pillich's statement labeling Trump supporters as 'vile' disparaged the millions of fellow Ohioans who voted for him. 'This kind of rhetoric is not only divisive – it is dangerous,' the Republican party's post said. 'It undermines the foundation of democracy: respect for the will of the people, even when we disagree. And when it comes from someone in a position of public trust – especially a prosecutor sworn to uphold the law impartially – it raises serious ethical concerns.' Other users accused Pillich of not being impartial and even being driven by hatred. 'Are you publicly admitting that you'll shirk your responsibilities as a prosecutor to push a political agenda?' conservative radio personality and podcaster Jack Windsor wrote on Facebook. "To say your constituents should be disappointed is an understatement − they deserve better." University of Cincinnati professor David Niven, who studies American politics and follows local politics, said he believes Pillich was "sinking to the level of her political opponents." "Prosecutors are supposed to be above politics" and have a duty "to stand up for the rule of law," Niven said. "Pillich could stand up for every vulnerable resident of Hamilton County in carrying out her duties. But naming calling does not advance that agenda. While it is no doubt satisfying to speak frankly, Pillich would be better off acting on these observations than making them." (This story was updated to add a video and a photo gallery.) This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor Connie Pillich Facebook post slamming Trump gets backlash
