Cincinnati Man Fatally Shot By Police Had Repeated History Of Holding Women Against Their Will, Records Show

When Cincinnati police shot and killed 23-year-old Timothy Cromwell on Aug. 15, officers said they were responding to a reported abduction of a woman who worked at Mercy Health West Hospital. Authorities said Cromwell fled with the woman, led officers on a pursuit that ended in a crash in Green Township, and then advanced toward officers carrying a pocketknife.

Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie said Cromwell suffered from multiple mental health issues and that the encounter was tragic. Hennie told reporters that officers placed themselves at risk while attempting to protect the woman and other lives on scene.

Court Records Show Prior Incidents

The deadly Aug. 15 encounter was not Cromwell's first run-in with the justice system. Court records from Hamilton and Butler counties document protection orders and criminal cases involving at least three women dating back to 2021.

Records show Cromwell violated a civil stalking protection order in early 2022 by repeatedly messaging a woman after his release from jail; he was later convicted of a misdemeanor for that violation. The records do not specify the reason for his earlier detention.

A press conference with Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, City Manager Sheryl Long and Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie for a police involved shooting over the weekend. Police shot Timothy Cromwell after a kidnapping report and pursuit ended in Green Township.

In 2024, Cromwell is accused of holding a different woman against her will for more than 10 hours. According to court filings, he arrived at her workplace in Colerain Township, entered her car through the passenger door while armed with a gun, and demanded that she call off work and spend the day with him. The records say he forced her to drive him around town and later returned to her workplace, where he chased her and she escaped in her vehicle.

Prosecutors say Cromwell pleaded guilty in July 2025 to felony abduction and menacing by stalking. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Goering sentenced him to five years of probation. A magistrate in Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court granted the victim a civil protection order—effective through January 2030—that prohibited Cromwell from possessing deadly weapons.

Additional Allegations Earlier This Summer

Records also detail incidents this past summer involving a third woman. On June 19, she reported that Cromwell punched a car radio and damaged her mirror; he was cited and released on his own recognizance at a July 2 court appearance. On July 15, police allege he picked up the woman on Colerain Avenue, drove her against her will to Mount Lookout, took her phone and left in her vehicle, leaving her stranded. He was charged with theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and unlawful restraint—misdemeanors.

Statements And Ongoing Investigations

According to Hennie, the woman involved in the Aug. 15 incident said Cromwell repeatedly voiced that he did not intend to go to jail; Hennie said those comments suggested a potential intent to provoke a lethal police response, often called "suicide by cop." Hennie also said Cromwell had told family members he wanted to die at the hands of police.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said the Cincinnati Police Department and the Citizen Complaint Authority are conducting parallel investigations into the shooting.

Note: This report is based on court records and official statements released by law enforcement and local officials. Some details — including the reasons for prior detentions — were not specified in the records made public.