13th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Nelvin 'Poodie Man' Tucker
Nelvin Tucker was a religious and generous man. At 51 years old he was a father to two grown children and grandfather to one. When he encountered a 27-year-old man who needed a place to stay, he let the man stay at his apartment at 5102 S. 58th Street. By May 8th, the man had outworn his welcome. He was playing loud music while Nelvin had his daughter over. Nelvin scolded the man saying he was being disrespectful and told him not for the first time that he needed to move out and not come back. Later in the evening neighbors heard a couple of pops. They looked out the peephole of their door and saw Nelvin’s roommate leaving while tucking something into the pocket of his hoody. The neighbors knocked on the door and after a short time Nelvin managed to answer the door though he had been shot. He said his roommate’s name and asked the neighbors to call his daughter. The neighbors called 9-1-1. Nelvin was transported to Tacoma General Hospital where he died from his wounds becoming the thirteenth Tacoma homicide this year.
Nelvin’s daughter called the roommate after learning her father had been shot. The roommate claimed to have heard the shots as he left and did not say where he was or return further phone calls. Tacoma police found and arrested him after a short manhunt.
By all accounts Nelvin was a generous and happy guy. His friends called him Poodie Man. His smile was infectious and if there was a hoop anywhere nearby you could bet Nelvin would be playing basketball. He was the sort of person you looked forward to seeing. For those who knew him there is now a hole in their lives that can never be filled because Nelvin is gone.
As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for family and friends of Nelvin who want to share any thoughts or memories of Nelvin Tucker. Also for those who were unable to attend Nelvin’s funeral it is available online at this link.
Jack