Rebecca Butts

rebbutts@enquirer.com

The man killed by police Monday night held up two West Price Hill stores at gunpoint and pointed the BB gun at police before two officers shot him to death, Cincinnati police said Tuesday.

Police received two panicked calls from cashiers at Walgreens and Deals, located across the street from each other in the 4200 block of Glenway Avenue, around 8 p.m.

The man, identified as Robert Tenbrink, 45, first entered the Walgreens and attempted to steal money from a cash register, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said.

The female cashier told police Tenbrink showed her a gun and demanded money, but she didn’t give him any. The weapon was later determined to be a realistic-looking Daisy BB pistol, Isaac said.

“I didn’t let him in my register,” the cashier told the 911 dispatcher. “I kept telling him, ‘please, please’ and finally, thank God, he left me alone.”

Police said Tenbrink went across the street to Deals, about three minutes after the first failed robbery attempt, and held a second cashier at gunpoint.

The Deals security video showed Tenbrink pull the BB gun out of his waistband after approaching the cashier with a Pepsi.

“He was digging in his pockets for change and I thought he was trying to find money,” the female cashier said in the 911 call. “He pulled a gun on me.”

The Deals cashier told police that Tenbrink fled after stealing more than $400. Both women described Tenbrink, as an older white man who wore a dark coat and blue or green pajama bottoms.

About five minutes after the robberies, at 8:09 p.m., District 3 police officers Andrea Harmon and Kevin Manz found Tenbrink walking along Sunset Avenue near Rapid Run Road.

Isaac said Tenbrink had a tracheotomy and he did not speak to the officers who told him to turn around and lie down. Video from the police cruiser dash camera showed Tenbrink raise his arms in a surrender position facing away from the two officers.

The officers repeatedly ordered Tenbrink to stop reaching for his pockets when he lowered his arms. Isaac said the man was not complying with officer orders.

The footage showed Tenbrink reach for the BB gun and turn with the weapon pointed at the officers before they both shot at him. Isaac said Tenbrink was shot at least once, in the face, and fell to the ground. It is not clear which officer fired the fatal bullet.

Officers recovered the BB gun and the stolen money at the scene.

The officers responded appropriately and in the manner they are trained, Isaac said.

"If you point a gun at a cop, they are going to shoot," said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley.

“Our guys are going after bad guys and have my 100 percent support,” Cranley said.

Isaac described Harmon and Manz as “lateral” officers who moved to Cincinnati police from other departments.

Harmon, a U.S. Navy veteran, worked as a police sergeant at the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs for four years before she was hired by Cincinnati police in May 2014. She also worked as a police officer in Newtonsville, Ohio, December 2010 through April 2011.

Cincinnati police reviewed her performance in May and determined she met all standards. The reviewing officer said Harmon is proactive, makes good decisions, and is an asset.

Manz previously worked as an officer in the University of Cincinnati Police Department for 14 years before moving to Cincinnati police in May 2014. He also served as a police officer in Cleves and Carlisle, Ohio.

He also met all standards in the May performance review. The reviewing officer said he had a strong work ethic and good judgement.

The last time Cincinnati police shot a man was also in West Price Hill. Officers shot Jarvis Harris in the leg when he reached for a gun as police approached him during an investigation on Nov. 12.

Harris is facing felonious assault, weapons under disability, tampering with evidence, receiving stolen property, and possession of heroin. He is scheudled to appear in court Feb. 1.