Devin Tucker had a harrowing experience with the Jefferson Parish Police
Last week on December 16th after they were called to assist him in a mental health crisis. They were supposed to pick him up from the Coroner’s Office and transport him to West Jefferson Hospital since Tucker, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was in a state of psychosis.
Defying the Order of Protective Custody that was handed to them, they got into a physical altercation with Devin Tucker, slamming him to the ground and kicking him. They then took him to the Gretna Jail, charging him with resisting arrest, marijuana possession, and a traffic attachment.
They did not alert his family to any of this.
On Saturday night around 2 AM, they handed him over to the NOPD who had a warrant out for his arrest since he was involved in a violent altercation in New Orleans East prior to the Coroner’s Office incident on December 16th. Recognizing that he had an Order of Protective Custody, the NOPD dropped him immediately off at the West Jefferson Hospital.
They did not alert his family to this.
It wasn’t until 24 hours later, after fearing the worst and having no idea where he was, and whose custody he was in, that his mother Shalon Tucker knew if he was dead or alive. Her fears had been heightened after a phone call with Devin while he was in jail, where he told her, “Ma they kicked me, Ma they slammed me, Ma they beat me up!” The phone cut off in the middle of his description.
JPSO deputies don’t wear body cameras so it’s still unclear what happened outside the Coroner’s Office. All that has been confirmed is that Devin said they beat him and eyewitnesses reported that he does have injuries he didn’t have before his altercation with them.
When Devin Tucker is released from the East Jefferson Hospital, where he was transported to by ambulance from the West Jefferson Hospital, it’s likely that he will go back to jail, according to his family.
When Devin heard about being turned over to the NOPD after his release from the hospital he cried and said, “All I did was self defend myself from being killed by someone else” while iterating that he was terrified of the police from what the Jefferson Parish officers did to him.
