BATAVIA, Ohio — BATAVIA, Ohio — The 33-year-old man accused of shooting his mother this week was out of jail on bond after allegedly attacking a paramedic while undergoing a mental evaluation, it was disclosed in court Thursday.
Police said Alexei Siddique called 911 several times last month to ask for police to respond to the home where Siddique and his mother, 62-year-old Tatiana Romanova, live on Windy Hollow.
Police said they made five calls on the home in December before Romanova was shot twice in the face on Monday. Police even made a call earlier Monday but Romanova sent them away.
Romanova died days later at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Neighbors described a pattern of domestic disputes between son and mother over the last month.
“I’m not going over there. He has a gun and he’s been mentally unstable for two weeks,” a neighbor said in a 911 call.
A judge sent a $1 million bond for Siddique, who is charged with assault in his mother’s shooting.
Attorney Jim Hunt said family members are ”concerned” about Siddique, but Hunt wouldn’t comment about his health.
“We can’t go into that now,” Hunt said. “He’s going to hire a private attorney. I represented him this morning strictly on his bond.”
WCPO reached out to several mental health experts Thursday and they said mental illness does not equal violence.
Police are trained to deal with situations like this. According to Clermont County’s Mental Health Recovery Board, 78% of officers in the county have gone through "crisis intervention training."
Miami Township police have a mobile crisis person on staff, but very specific criteria must be met to involuntarily hold someone for a mental evaluation.
Police Chief Mike Mills told WCPO Monday that officers are limited by law in what they can do when called to a scene as in this case.
"Our hands are tied, obviously, when we don’t have any evidence of domestic violence or any indications of harm that’s going to be caused,” Mills said. “We can’t fabricate some evidence that is not there, so sometimes we have to leave, and unfortunately this is one of those times.”
Siddique’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 13.
