April 2001

Timothy Thomas, 19, was shot and killed by Cincinnati officer Stephen Roach while fleeing on foot. Thomas was unarmed; his outstanding warrants were all for minor traffic citations. His death — the 15th Black man killed by Cincinnati police in six years — triggered three days of uprising in the city. Roach was acquitted of all charges in September 2001.

Officer Stephen Roach shot and killed Timothy Thomas, 19, an unarmed Black man, in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Thomas was wanted on 14 misdemeanor traffic warrants. His killing — the 15th Black man killed by Cincinnati police since 1995 — sparked four days of uprisings. Roach was acquitted of negligent homicide. The city reached a settlement with the ACLU mandating police reforms.

Officer Stephen Roach shot Timothy Thomas, 19, wanted on misdemeanor traffic warrants, in Over-the-Rhine. His killing — the 15th Black man killed by Cincinnati police since 1995 — sparked four days of uprisings. Roach was acquitted of negligent homicide.

Following the police killing of Timothy Thomas on April 7, 2001, Cincinnati's Black community rose up in three days of protests, marches, and unrest in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. A curfew was imposed. The uprising led to the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement, a landmark police reform settlement brokered with the ACLU and Fraternal Order of Police.