All four men charged in connection with the killing of Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le last month have pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said.

Mark Sanders, Allen Brown and Marquise Cooper have all been charged with murder and Sebron Ray Russell has been charged with second-degree burglary for his alleged role in the heist of a cannabis dispensary that led to the fatal shooting of Le.  

Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 29, 2023, while responding to a burglary at a cannabis business. Oakland police have announced multiple arrests connected with the case. (Oakland Police Department via Bay City News)

Le, 36, was shot multiple times in the early morning hours of Dec. 29 while responding to a burglary call at a dispensary in the 400 block of Embarcadero. Police said Le was working undercover and was shot as multiple suspects tried to get away. He died at a hospital at 8:44 a.m. that day. 

The Alameda County Public Defender’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the case.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.