Two people were rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a shooting on Mullen Road in Colerain Township just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, and as of the latest update, police have not identified a suspect. Officers flooded the street with cruisers as the investigation got underway.
According to WLWT, police are still investigating what led to the shooting and have not disclosed a motive. WLWT crews on the scene saw multiple police cruisers lined up along Mullen Road as officers worked to piece together what happened. Both victims were taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to police cited in the same report, but their ages have not been confirmed.
Only Regional Trauma Center Handles the Critical Cases
The choice of hospital was not incidental. University of Cincinnati Medical Center operates the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center in Greater Cincinnati and handles roughly 84,000 emergency visits a year, according to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. That makes it the default destination for gunshot victims across the region whose injuries require complex penetrating-trauma care, and it is why both people shot on Mullen Road ended up there rather than a closer facility.
No suspect has been publicly identified, and the report notes that police have not said whether they have information pointing to a person of interest. The lack of an early lead leaves an open question for investigators working a township that spans a wide patrol footprint.
A Township Grappling With Recent Gun Violence
Colerain Township is the largest township by land area in Hamilton County, covering 42.9 square miles with a population of 59,037 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, per Wikipedia. That sprawl shapes how officers patrol and respond to calls across the township's many neighborhoods. Third-party sources offer varying figures for the area's violent-crime rate.
Still, the Mullen Road shooting arrives on the heels of other recent gun violence in the township. Just weeks earlier, a shooting on Nandale Drive led to felonious assault charges against a 14-year-old family member of the victim. And in September 2024, a double shooting in the township resulted in the arrest and felonious assault indictment of an off-duty Cincinnati firefighter, an incident that triggered administrative reviews across municipal departments.
What Charges Could Follow an Arrest
If police eventually identify and arrest a suspect, Ohio law lays out steep consequences for gun violence resulting in serious injury. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.11, knowingly inflicting serious physical harm with a firearm constitutes second-degree felonious assault, carrying penalties of up to eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine, according to legal analysis of the statute. Firearm specifications under Ohio law can also add mandatory consecutive prison terms on top of any underlying felony sentence.
Surveillance Tools and Levy Funding in the Background
Colerain Township police have leaned increasingly on technology to track suspects across their large jurisdiction. In February 2025, the department purchased 20 Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras to help officers trace suspect vehicles, according to the Atlas of Surveillance project. Whether those cameras factored into the search for a suspect vehicle near Mullen Road has not been disclosed.
The investigation also comes as the township continues to weigh how to fund its police operations long-term. Colerain Township placed Issue 23 on the November 2025 general election ballot, asking voters to approve a 2.9-mill police levy. The department had previously stretched a five-year levy across eleven years in an effort to avoid cutting services.
For now, the identities and conditions of the two Mullen Road victims remain unconfirmed beyond their critical status, and no suspect information has been released. Hoodline will continue to follow the investigation as police release additional details.
