Father says woman killed outside Sacramento trampoline park was trying to leave abusive marriage
A woman killed in a shooting outside an Arden-area trampoline park was trying to leave what her father described as an abusive marriage with the man now accused of killing her.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the woman as 29-year-old Samantha Sue Cromwell. Her father, Cedric Ward, told CBS News Sacramento that Cromwell and 36-year-old Edward Tucker had been married for several years and shared a son.
Ward said the relationship had become abusive and that his daughter had been trying to leave Tucker. He said Cromwell even quit her job at Walmart because she did not want Tucker to know where she was working.
On Saturday, Ward said, Tucker somehow learned Cromwell was at the Arden-area Urban Air Adventure Park and confronted her outside.
Cromwell and a friend, identified by Ward as Faith, were both shot, according to the family. Cromwell died, while Faith remained in critical condition.
Sacramento police arrested Tucker, a Fresno resident, on homicide-related charges.
Ward described his daughter as kind-hearted and family-oriented and said she was a loving mother and sister.
"I do not want him to receive the death penalty," Ward said. "I want him to see my daughter's face every day, every night he goes to sleep."
"I don't wish this pain on anybody. On anybody, man," he said.
Tucker's criminal history
Tucker's arrest in Sacramento comes after a previous criminal case in Fresno County.
According to the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, Tucker was arrested in May 2024 as part of a gang operation. He later pleaded guilty to firing a gun into an occupied home.
Tucker was sentenced to three years in state prison, but the Fresno County DA's Office said he did not serve the full sentence.
The DA's office attributed the reduced time to the jail's credit system, saying Tucker may have earned credits through his behavior and work assignments.
Tucker remains in custody in Sacramento County on homicide-related charges.
Sacramento police homicide detectives are investigating the shooting.
