Flint Gregory Hunt was born on June 27, 1959, in Catawba, North Carolina, one of five siblings and the third child in his family. His upbringing was marred by domestic violence and hardship. His mother disciplined him harshly, at times using extension cords and switches—according to his sisters. When he was seventeen, his father died from alcoholism.

By adulthood, his life remained unsteady. Little indicates he held a steady job or strong personal connections, and he was known to associate with drug dealers. In late 1985, police in East Baltimore were aware of a stolen Cadillac circulating in drug-heavy neighborhoods.

On November 18, 1985, 25‑year‑old Baltimore officer Vincent J. Adolfo noticed a Cadillac without a window—covered only with plastic—occupied by four individuals. He initiated a traffic stop since the vehicle matched a stolen car report and called for backup. Two patrol units set up a roadblock. As the Cadillac approached, Hunt, the driver, leapt out and fled into a nearby alley; the vehicle crashed into one of the blockading patrol cars, and three passengers were detained. 

Officer Adolfo pursued on foot, tackled Hunt to a wall, and attempted handcuffs. As the officer leaned in, Hunt produced a .357 Magnum revolver and fired. The first bullet hit Adolfo in the chest, and a second struck his back. Hunt fled again on foot. Officers and paramedics rushed Adolfo to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries around 6:00 p.m.

After the shooting, Hunt phoned his friend Angelo Williams, asking him to hide the murder weapon. He and his girlfriend fled briefly to his sister’s home, but police coverage on television prompted them to leave. The next day they drove to Camden, New Jersey, en route to California. Hunt eventually boarded a bus bound for Santa Monica, alone. His flight ended at a Tulsa, Oklahoma bus station, where he was recognized by a vigilant passenger and arrested on November 23. He was extradited to Maryland and faced charges of first‑degree murder and weapons offenses.

In June 1986, a Baltimore jury convicted Hunt of first‑degree murder and handgun-related charges. He received a sentence of death, as well as consecutive prison terms for the firearms convictions. Due to constitutional defects in the sentencing hearing, a second jury trial was held in late 1988, and the death sentence was reaffirmed, upheld on appeal. 

Hunt filed extensive post-conviction challenges, claiming ineffective counsel, improper jury conduct, and unfair sentencing—none of which were successful. Federal courts also denied relief. During appeals, he converted to Islam and adopted an Arabic name, seeking spiritual grounding while on death row.

Originally, Hunt requested execution in Maryland's gas chamber, as he "wanted his death… to look more like murder" and draw attention to the brutality of capital punishment. However, he changed to lethal injection to allow his mother and wife—whom he married in an Islamic ceremony—to witness the event.

In the early hours of July 2, 1997, exactly 11 years after his sentencing, Hunt received a lethal injection at Maryland State Penitentiary. The procedure began shortly after midnight, and he was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m.