When Cincinnati police fatally shot Timothy Cromwell, 23, on Aug. 15 while responding to the reported abduction of a woman, he was on probation for a separate abduction conviction and had an active warrant on an unlawful restraint charge.
Cromwell was killed after police said he fled with a woman who had been working at Mercy Health West Hospital, leading officers on a pursuit that ended with a crash in Green Township. Officers said Cromwell then advanced toward them with a pocketknife.
Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie said Cromwell was suffering from multiple mental health issues. He said while the situation is unfortunate, officers put themselves in danger to save lives.
The deadly encounter with Cincinnati police wasn't Cromwell's first run-in
with law enforcement. It also wasn't the first time that authorities said he held a woman against her will. Court records in both Hamilton and Butler counties show Cromwell had protection orders and criminal cases involving at least three women dating back to 2021.
Kidnapping suspect convicted of abducting woman for 10 hours
Court records show Cromwell repeatedly messaged a woman in early 2022, after being released from jail, in an effort to get her to speak with him. Those messages violated a civil stalking protection order the woman obtained in October 2021. Cromwell was later convicted of a misdemeanor for the violation. It is unclear why he had been jailed.
Then in 2024, he held a different woman against her will for more than 10 hours. Court records state Cromwell showed up at the woman's work in Colerain Township and got in her car through the passenger door with a gun.
"Cromwell demanded (that she) call off of work and spend the day with (him)," the records state. He also "demanded" that she drive him around town throughout the day. Three days later, police said he showed up at her work again, chased her, and the woman had to flee in her vehicle.
He pleaded guilty in July 2025 to felony abduction and menacing by stalking. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Goering sentenced Cromwell to five years probation.
In a petition for a civil protection order, the woman in that case said she and Cromwell had been in a relationship for just over a year while working together at Home Depot. During that time, she said, Cromwell became "aggressive, physical and mentally unstable."
He threatened to kill her and also made threats to harm himself, the woman said, adding that he was supposed to take medication for anxiety and depression. She also said that he was known to carry a gun at all times.
A Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court magistrate granted the woman's request for a protection order, which was set to last until January 2030. The order made it illegal for Cromwell to carry deadly weapons.
Court docs: Cromwell charged twice in months before shooting
There were two more incidents this summer involving a third woman. On June 19, the woman reported that Cromwell had punched the radio and broken her car mirror. He was cited and went to court on July 2, where he was released on his own recognizance.
Then on July 15, police said he picked up the woman on Colerain Avenue and drove her to Mount Lookout against her will. Once they arrived, he took her phone and drove away in her vehicle "leaving her stranded."
He was charged with theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and unlawful restraint, all misdemeanors.
Interim chief says man was intent on 'suicide by cop'
Hennie, the interim police chief, briefly mentioned Cromwell's prior arrests and convictions when sharing details about the Aug. 15 shooting with reporters.
The woman, who officials said Cromwell kidnapped and took on a 45-minute police chase, told authorities that he repeatedly talked about how he wasn't planning on going to jail, according to Hennie, implying Cromwell intended to die by “suicide by cop.”
Cromwell made statements to family members about wanting to die at the hands of police, Hennie said. "I wish this was not the way that this individual wanted to do this."
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said Cincinnati police and the Citizen Complaint Authority are running parallel investigations into the shooting.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man killed by Cincinnati police held women against their will before, records show
