Community members gathered in Oakland Friday morning to remember slain police Officer Tuan Le, who was killed last week while working an undercover burglary operation.
The vigil for Le, 36, was held in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza in the heart of Chinatown, a place where he spent many hours on duty and off duty trying to better his community.
Le was remembered as a decorated officer, husband and son who loved Oakland.
His family, friends and colleagues said he dedicated his working and free time to the community.
Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo first met Le when he was a teenager.
"He's an individual that I've known since high school days," Gallo said. "He went to Oakland High School with my three daughters. I was there at his graduation handing him a diploma being on the Oakland board of education. I attended his police graduation ceremony as well. He was a respectable, lovable young man."
The Chinatown Chamber of Commerce hosted the memorial service and said Le's background as an immigrant of Vietnam and his ability to speak the same language as many in the community helped break barriers.
Many in the community also said they did not have to know Le personally to feel the impact of this loss.
"I feel like I lost a family member," community member Taylor Chow said.
Le was born in Vietnam in 1987 and grew up in the Bay Area. Everyone who knew him said he could light up a room with laughter, adding that he was always upbeat and positive.
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Le graduated from Oakland’s police academy in 2020 and devoted his career to trying to bridge the gap between his community and law enforcement.
Le was shot in the head Dec. 29 and died at a hospital. He was in plainclothes and driving an unmarked police truck when he and other officers answered a report of a burglary in progress at a cannabis grow house near Jack London Square, where marijuana plants had been stolen in at least three other burglaries that night, according to court documents released Thursday.
Two men charged with murder in the death of Le appeared in court Thursday but didn’t enter pleas.
Meanwhile, a fourth man was arrested in connection with last week’s burglary.
Le is the 54th Oakland police officer to die in the line of duty and the first killed in nearly 15 years.
Oakland police will host a public memorial service for Le scheduled on Wednesday following the family's private ceremony earlier in the week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
