Jamar Tucker
Jamar Tucker, an up-and-coming rapper from Trenton, was shot and killed on his birthday, The Trentonian has learned.
Tucker, who turned 36 on Friday, is the deceased gunshot victim whose body was found in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, authorities confirmed.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office says Tucker was found dead in the early morning hours of Friday in the 300 block of South Bellevue Avenue. An autopsy conducted by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office determined Tucker died of a gunshot wound, authorities said Saturday in a news release.
Bucks County detectives were searching for a vehicle belonging to Tucker, a black 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is currently unaccounted for as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Bucks DA’s Office. The vehicle had New Jersey registration plates bearing T69HDG.
Homicide victim Jamar Tucker of Trenton is seen standing beside his 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which police were looking for on May 11, 2019, as part of their homicide investigation.
Tucker’s family and friends in Trenton and beyond were mourning his loss on social media.
“Happy birthday Champ, may you R.I.P.,” Samuel Council Jr. wrote in a Facebook comment.
Known by the stage name Tuck and the Instagram handle jtuck609, Tucker was affiliated with Block Life Entertainment and has official music videos featured on YouTube.
“Just a kid from a dark place called Trenton, NJ shining my light on the world,” Tucker says in his Instagram profile.
It’s not clear what circumstances led to Tucker’s violent death, but he appeared to be on a positive track as a hip-hop lyricist.
“I represented him on some stuff that happened many years ago, and since then I have known him as an up-and-coming rap star,” defense attorney John “Jack” Furlong said Saturday of Tucker. “Jamar was a guy who was trying to find his way out of the streets, and I thought he succeeded.”
Furlong described Tucker as a “man of his word” and a “reliable guy.” He learned about the rapper’s untimely demise upon receiving a “frantic phone call” from Tucker’s mom.
“I don’t like having these conversations with parents who have to bury their children,” Furlong said Saturday in an interview with The Trentonian. “We always want to be children burying parents, not the other way around. I confess I am being worn down by the resort to bullets. We are not going to be able to shoot our way out of our differences.”
“Jamar Tucker was not a hardcore street guy,” Furlong added. “He did not live the thug life. He is just a guy who grew up in Trenton and had one or two scrapes with the law.”
Tucker was arrested in 2006 on drug distribution charges and served time behind bars. He was last sentenced to probation in 2013 for resisting arrest, court records show.
Tucker’s violent death may have been related to a “power struggle regarding drug dealing in North Trenton,” according to a police source.
“I just know a man is dead from a gunshot wound,” Furlong said. “His death comes to me as a vivid reminder that the availability of guns and bullets is too casual, too easy for people with no prospects to solve their disputes.”
No arrests have been announced in the homicide as of Saturday afternoon. Police did not release any suspect descriptions.
Anyone with information on the slaying or information on the whereabouts of Tucker’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is urged to contact Bucks County Detectives at (215) 348-6354 or to submit tips to Buckscrimetips@buckscounty.org.
Trentonian staff writer Isaac Avilucea contributed to this report.