Members of the community came together to hold a vigil on Thursday for a San Jose community service officer who was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver earlier in the month.
Councilman Bien Doan organized the vigil and said 34-year-old Long Tham Pham's death is devastating to the community.
“We don’t have a whole lot of police officers who are Vietnamese, and when we have a death like this, it impacts all our lives, from the younger generation to the older generation," he said.
Other community leaders like Mayor Matt Mahan, former mayor Sam Liccardo and Interim Police Chief Paul Joseph attended the vigil.
"While we only shared a brief moment together, I distinctly remember his warmth and his smile," Mahan said.
Police said Pham became a San Jose community service officer in October 2022. While doing traffic control for an accident on Monterey Road, police said that a suspected drunk driver hit and killed him.
The driver also hit and injured a second community officer. The officer was identified as Veronica Baer.
During a news conference in early August, Mahan praised Pham for making the ultimate sacrifice for his community.
"Long is a hero. I know that's likely little comfort in this time of tremendous grief, but Long's life, his service, and his sacrifice will be remembered forever," he said at the time.
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Cristina Garza, Pham's friend and fellow community service officer, placed flowers near where he was killed on August 5.
"I know Pham is out there watching over us now. We love him, and we are also saying prayers for the other CSO, Baer, and we love her too. We hope for her to have a fast recovery," she said then.
Baer was also severely injured in the crash. She was hospitalized in stable condition.
Police arrested 44-year-old Juan Palacios of Morgan Hill for felony vehicular manslaughter. Police said Palacios has previous DUI charges on his record.
