(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The family of a Matteson man who died while in the custody of the Kankakee County Sheriff on Sept. 9 said they’re demanding answers and planning legal action.
Attorney Jon Erickson represents the family of DeWayne Tucker, 32, who was held in Kankakee County at the request of the U.S. Marshals Service while awaiting a federal trial in connection with a bank robbery.
Erickson claimed Tucker was in good health when he was taken to the Combs Detention Center in Kankakee.
“Mr. Tucker left his home in the back seat of a U.S. marshal squad car in healthy condition,” he said. “Two weeks later he arrives at an emergency room at a hospital severely dehydrated, with fresh wounds.”
Erickson accused the agencies of abusing Tucker and denying him drinking water while in custody. Tucker died last week at a hospital of dehydration and a swollen brain.
“The family is calling upon Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice to open an immediate investigation into the U.S. marshals and the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department,” Erickson said.
Erickson said Tucker's family also plans a civil rights lawsuit against the U.S. Marshals Service and the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office.
WBBM Newsradio has reached out to both agencies for responses to the family’s accusations.
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