At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Friday, December 29, 2023, officers from Oakland Police Department responded to a cannabis-related business on the 400 block of Embarcadero to investigate a report of a possible burglary in progress. The area was cleared shortly after. At 4:33 a.m., officers received a second report of a burglary in progress at the same business. Uniformed and plainclothes officers working the burglary operation responded and saw multiple suspects fleeing the scene. At least one suspect fired several shots, striking Officer Tuan Le as he was responding with his partner in an unmarked vehicle.

Officer Le was rushed to Highland Hospital by his fellow officers where, despite all lifesaving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries at 8:44 a.m. Officer Le was surrounded by his wife, mother, and members of his OPD family when he died.

Officers and investigators from Oakland, the California Highway Patrol, and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office swarmed Embarcadero after the shooting — closing both directions from Oak Street to 16th Avenue, along with multiple on-ramps to Interstate 880. A manhunt for the gunman continued hours later. As of Friday afternoon, no suspects were in custody.

Officer Tuan Le, age 36, was born in Saigon, Vietnam, later moved to Oakland and gained his citizenship on September 11, 2001. On February 21, 2020, Officer Le graduated from Oakland’s 183rd Police Academy, beginning a journey of public service. For the past two years he served as the Community Resource Officer in West Oakland, where he devoted himself to strengthening the bond between law enforcement and local residents.