A chorus of bagpipes filled the crowded 3,000-seat auditorium at 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley on Wednesday as the casket of fallen Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le was ceremoniously carried into his memorial service.
Outside the church, where a full rainbow formed above, hundreds of police officers in dress uniform stood at attention in the driving rain. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of law enforcement officers throughout the region.
Le was 36 when he was shot and killed in the line of duty on Dec. 29 while responding to a burglary at a cannabis dispensary near Jack London Square. He was the first Oakland police officer killed in the line of duty in 14 years. Le, who was born in Vietnam and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on Sept. 11, 2001, served on the force for four years.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Le will never be forgotten for paying the ultimate price while protecting the people of his community. He then turned his attention to all of the law enforcement present.
“California is in debt to the brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line each day,” Bonta said. “Let us not forget the courage, love, and selflessness of the families and friends who send our law enforcement officers out into the world with no guarantees of their return.”
Le was recently awarded the Grubensky Award for helping a fellow officer who had suffered a heart attack on duty. The award was named after John William Grubensky, who died rescuing a family in the 1991 Oakland hills firestorm.
‘Thank you, brother’
Oakland’s interim chief of police Darren Allison highlighted Le’s achievements in the academy and as a community resource officer in West Oakland, where he was well-liked and trusted in the neighborhood.
“Thank you, brother, for our friendship and your service,” Allison said. “Thank you for all the times you answered the call. I know this was not how it was supposed to end, but you can rest easy. You have given us hope. You’ve given us love. You’ve held the line. You are a true hero. Just know we have the watch from here.”
Le’s cousin Jennifer Ky spoke of his generosity and thoughtfulness for others. She shared a story of Le as a child, just before leaving Vietnam for the U.S., when he asked his aunt for the money to buy an apple at the market.
“Buying an apple wasn’t a simple decision made on my aunt’s behalf. Money didn’t come easy for them,” she said.
“But for some reason, after my aunt bought him the apple, he decided to save it instead of eating it right then and there. When they arrived home, he had the apple cut into pieces and shared it with his two cousins that they were living with, instead of having it all for himself. This was his way of parting ways with them. So, this was the kind of person Tuan was at 7 years old and at 36 years old.”
A Buddhist ceremony for Le was held Friday in Oakland. He will be buried in a private service.