The Rochester City Attorney’s Office announced it is filing criminal charges against Shiloh Hendrix, the woman who went viral after she was captured on video using a racial slur toward a black child at a local playground in April.
The draft complaint summons contains three allegations of disorderly conduct against Hendrix.
The incident occurred at Roy Sutherland Playground at Soldiers Field Park and was recorded on video that later went viral across social media platforms.
Each disorderly conduct charge carries significant penalties.
The maximum punishment for each count includes 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, meaning Hendrix could potentially face up to 270 days behind bars if convicted on all charges.
The controversial video was initially posted on TikTok on April 28, 2025.
The footage shows a confrontation between Hendrix and a man who challenged her after she allegedly called a black child a racial slur at the popular Rochester recreational facility.
During the recorded encounter, the man confronted Hendrix about her use of the slur.
He then challenged her to repeat the offensive language, apparently attempting to document her behavior on camera.
Hendrix responded by repeating the n-word four times on camera.
She also made an obscene gesture toward the recording device as she walked away from the scene.
The original video was subsequently deleted from the platform. However, the content had already been captured and redistributed by other users before the deletion could prevent its spread.
Social media influencers began reposting the video with their own commentary attached.
One particular repost on TikTok achieved massive engagement numbers.
That single reposted video has accumulated more than 15 million views and 1.3 million user engagements.
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The Rochester City Attorney’s Office addressed the extended timeline between the incident and the filing of charges.
A four-month gap separated the April playground incident from the August charging decision, raising questions about the delayed response.
Officials explained the delay was necessary due to the complex nature of the case.
“Given the sensitive and complicated nature of this case, along with the high level of public attention, completing the necessary reviews and conversations with the victim’s family took longer than usual,” the announcement stated, per the Rochester Post Bulletin.
The City Attorney’s Office also acknowledged the broader community impact of the incident.
“(T)he City recognizes not only the significant attention and emotion surrounding this case, but also the complex and lasting impacts situations like this have on communities of color and our broader community,” officials said.
Rochester Mayor Kim Norton issued a separate statement regarding the charges.
“This was a situation that deeply affected many people, especially our communities of color, and caused real turmoil in our community,” Norton stated in her official response.
The local NAACP branch organized community response efforts following the incident.
The Rochester NAACP hosted a public forum on May 7 to address community concerns about the playground confrontation and its aftermath.
The organization also launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide financial support for the targeted child’s family.
The fundraising effort proved highly successful, collecting more than $340,000 in donations from supporters nationwide. However, the fundraising campaign faced complications when multiple families made false claims.
Several different families incorrectly identified themselves as the family of the boy who was targeted in the video, creating confusion and potential fraud concerns.
NAACP members worked diligently to verify the correct family’s identity. They confirmed they have identified the actual family affected by the incident and placed the donated funds in a trust account to ensure proper distribution.
A separate fundraising campaign was established to support Hendrix herself.
This ongoing campaign has collected more than $800,000 with a stated goal of reaching $1 million in donations.
The case now awaits review by a district court judge.
The draft complaint must receive judicial approval before formal filing can proceed through the court system.
