An undercover Oakland police officer was shot to death Friday morning while responding to a burglary call at a cannabis dispensary, according to the city’s police department.
The officer has been identified as Tuan Quoc Le, according to the Oakland Police Department.
In Loving Memory of Officer Tuan Le a dedicated public servant, loving husband, and a cherished member of the Oakland community.
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) December 30, 2023
Officer Le was killed in the line of duty today, December 29, 2023, at 8:44 a.m.
more in the link:https://t.co/dFovCIFnjw pic.twitter.com/eGU7g7VDj1
Le was shot in the 400 block of Embarcadero, south of Interstate 880 near the Jack London Aquatic Center. Department officials said the plainclothes officer was in an unmarked vehicle when he was shot by one of several suspects who were leaving the premises. Le was taken by fellow officers to Highland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 8:45 a.m.
Le worked for the department for four years, public records show.
Officers initially responded to a call around 1 a.m. for a report of a burglary at the business. After investigating and leaving the scene, the burglars apparently returned to the scene after 4 a.m., and officers came back. No police returned fire, the department said.
Mayor Sheng Thao said she was “truly devastated by this news” and urged city residents “stand with OPD officers” and the family of the slain officer.
“This loss cuts deep. Many of our officers are hurting right now, and they are going to need our support. Our community is in shock,” she said at an early afternoon press conference.
“This senseless murder … will not stand,” she added, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The shooting on Friday marks the first instance of an OPD officer losing their life in the line of duty since March 2009, when Lovelle Mixon fatally shot two traffic officers and later killed two additional officers during a SWAT team raid while the department sought to apprehend him.