In the early hours of June 4, Patrick Heringer, the longtime owner of Findlay Movement and CrossFit Level 3 coach, was fatally stabbed while trying to protect his wife from an intruder in their home in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH.
- Cincinnati police have since charged Mordecia Black with murder and aggravated burglary. Black was released from prison in January and remained on probation after serving a nine-year sentence for felonious assault and aggravated rioting, according to this report from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
From a hotel room, Heringer’s grieving wife, Sarah, spoke on camera, sharing her anger toward the police.
- “He was stabbed to death while protecting his family from a violent, deranged criminal, who had no business roaming free in the streets of this city,” Sarah, who was also a long-time coach and co-owner of Findlay Movement, said. “After he died, after I watched him bleed out in our house, I was handcuffed like a criminal.”
She went on to call for more officers, better coverage, and proactive patrolling.
- “Patrick died a hero. He died protecting his family in a city that did not protect him,” she said.
The Cincinnati Enquirer notes that all crime, both violent and non-violent, is up 48% from the same period in 2024 in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Patrick Heringer Was “A Pillar of the Community”
Heringer first opened CrossFit 513 in 2015 (now called Findlay Movement) after spending several years serving in the U.S. Army.
Dave Colina, Heringer’s good friend and member of the gym, told the Morning Chalk Up that the Heringers were “pillars of the downtown community.”
- “He was the best coach I have ever had. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable, but he knew exactly the right thing to say to his members to uniquely get through to them,” Colina, who is the founder and CEO of O2 Hydration, said.
He added: “He was one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Heringer’s family. At the time of publishing, it had raised $35,000.
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