Police officer killed in shooting during burglary investigation
Tuan Le was working undercover and responding to possible robbery at a cannabis business
OAKLAND >> A plainclothes Oakland police officer died Friday after he was shot while responding to a burglary at a cannabis business along the city's waterfront, leaving city and police leaders in shock as the first officer slain on duty in Oakland in 14 years.
The undercover officer, identified as Tuan Le, was driven by fellow officers to Highland Hospital where he died from his wounds. A hunt for the assailant continued hours later. No suspect was in custody as of Friday afternoon.
“The dangers and the demands of this profession are real and come with significant sacrifice,” Oakland Police Department interim Chief Darren Allison said. “Sadly, today one of our officers paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Le's death marked the 54th time an Oakland cop has died in the line of duty dating back to the 1860s, and it touched off a wave of mourning across the city for what the mayor called a “heart-wrenching” death of a member of OPD's burglary suppression unit.
It comes at a time of unprecedented burglary levels in the city. As of last week, there were more than 17,000 burglaries reported citywide this year, an increase of 24% compared to last year and several thousand more than during any year since at least 2008. Of those, roughly 1,600 were commercial burglaries.
The deadly encounter happened during officers' second predawn trip to a “cannabis-related business” near the city's Fifth Avenue Marina.
Police first responded at about 1 a.m. to a cannabis-related business on the 400 block of Embarcadero near Fifth Avenue for a burglary in progress, but found nothing, Allison said. Officers took a report, secured the area and left.
At 4:33 a.m., a team of plainclothes and uniformed officers responded to a second call about the same business. When they arrived, multiple assailants were seen fleeing. One of them fired multiple shots at Le, who was driving with his partner at the time, the chief said. No officers fired their weapons, Allison said.
Police dispatch tapes depicted a chaotic scene as officers warned that someone had shot at an undercover officer. Moments, later, a dispatcher re
ported the undercover officer being involved in a vehicle crash.
“Hey, I've got an officer down! We're hit!,” an officer said while using a code signifying they were in a vehicle crash.
“Throw and go. Throw and go,” another officer replied, suggesting the officer personally drive the wounded officer to a hospital. Within a few minutes, someone on the radio suggested that the gunman had been in a black vehicle that fled toward Interstate 880.
A white pickup truck, which had at least one bullet hole and shattered windows, remained behind the police tape after it apparently crashed into another truck. Police did not announce any arrests Friday afternoon, nor did they release any suspect description. They urged anyone with information to call police.
Sgt. Barry Donelan, the president of the Oakland Police Officers' Association, said the officer died at 8:44 a.m. with his family and fellow officers by his side. In a statement, the police department called Le “a dedicated public servant, loving husband and a cherished member of the Oakland community.”
Le, 36, was born in Saigon and moved to Oakland
and gained his citizenship on Sept. 11, 2001, OPD said. He had been on the force for four years and over the past two years served as a community resource officer in West Oakland.
Before Friday, the most recent on-duty deaths happened on March 21, 2009, when four officers — Mark Dunakin, John Hege, Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai — were fatally shot by Lovelle Mixon. At the time, it was the nation's largest single-day
loss of life for officers since Sept. 11, 2001.
“Our members are devastated by this unwarranted attack and the loss of one of our family. I am proud of the officers who responded this morning and carried their brother to the hospital on their shoulders,” Donelan said. “As we mourn, rest assured that we are also determined to bring this cop killer to justice.”
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao urged Oaklanders to
unite in solidarity after the “heart-wrenching” killing. She was seen visiting the hospital Friday morning, where she conferred with police commanders and leaders.
“I am deeply devastated by this heartbreaking news, and I know the entire Oakland community feels the profound impact of this loss,” said Thao, adding that “this senseless act of violence against a member of our police force, the guardians of our City, will not go unanswered.”
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said her office “is standing by to assist in any way we can and to support the town in this critical time” and that she told Donelan she “stands ready to prosecute whoever is responsible and hold them accountable for killing this officer.”
Officers and investigators from Oakland, the California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff's swarmed Embarcadero after the shooting — closing both directions from Oak Street to 16th Avenue, along with multiple on-ramps to Interstate 880.
Across town, Highland Hospital became a site of mourning as scores of officers — including at least 50 from the Oakland Police Department and more than 25 from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office — gathered and exchanged hugs. Officers from the California Highway Patrol lined up along 14th Avenue for a procession to ferry Le's body away from the hospital to the coroner's office.
“It's devastating,” said Sgt. Ramon Jacobo of the Oakland Housing Authority Police Department.
Other officers from Piedmont, Richmond, Berkeley and Dublin also offered their condolences.
“It's a family — we're close knit,” said BART police Deputy Chief Joshua Patzer, whose eyes began to well up while walking outside the hospital.
Jeff Ng, an officer with the California Highway Patrol, was on a morning walk with his dog outside of the hospital when he came across the Oakland officers lined up in honor of their fallen colleague. The sight left him in shock.
“You realize it happens, but it's different when it's this close to home,” Ng said. “It's sort of a reminder that it's very real — we put ourselves in harms way.”