Assistant Chief of Police Mahlon Otis Tuck, Sr.

Mahlon Otis Tuck, Sr.

Assistant Chief Mahlon Tuck was shot and killed after responding to the scene of the murders of Deputy Robert Wooten and Deputy Curtis Youngblood, both of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, at 615 Elizabeth Street (present-day NE 19th Street) in Ocala.

The two deputies had been shot and killed when they responded to a shooting call. When additional officers arrived on the scene, they were held off by the suspect as he continued to fire. Assistant Chief Tuck was fatally wounded while providing cover for another officer who placed tear gas in the home. Another deputy was shot in the face and neck, but survived his wounds.

After an hour-long standoff, the husband and wife were taken into custody. The man was declared insane and died while in a state mental hospital. The charges against the wife were dropped, and she moved out of state.

Assistant Chief Tuck was survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters.