A man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly gained control of a Tuscaloosa mental health officer’s gun, which discharged during a struggle late Monday morning, authorities said.
Cedric Leon Tinker, 44, was reported to Tuscaloosa police by his family, who claimed Tinker was “experiencing some type of mental health issue” several times in the last few days, said Capt. John Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit.
Tuscaloosa police dispatched mental health officers to the 3600 block of Stillman Boulevard around 10:45 a.m. Monday, Kennedy said.
Police decided to transport Tinker to a hospital for an evaluation after meeting with his family, social workers, interviewing Tinker and reviewing the incidents over the last week.
Tinker refused and became aggressive; he physically resisted being taken into custody by assaulting several officers and making threats against them, Kennedy said.
As the officers struggled to restrain Tinker on the ground, the suspect allegedly removed one of the officer’s weapons and took control of it.
During the struggle, Kennedy said, the gun was discharged once but nobody was hit by gunfire.
Multiple officers were eventually able to retrieve the weapon and take Tinker into custody.
The Violent Crimes Unit was then called to investigate the incident, which led Tinker to be charged with attempted murder, disarming a law enforcement officer and second-degree assault.
Tinker is being held in the Tuscaloosa County jail without bond.