Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: 1427
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 19, 2007
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Convicted of murder
Deputy Sheriff Vu Nguyen was shot while chasing a suspect.
At 2:00 pm, Deputy Nguyen and his partner, both assigned to gang duties, were patrolling in plain clothes when they made an unscheduled stop at a known gang house in the area of 47th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. There, they saw a man who they have never seen before. When they attempted to make contact with the man he fled on foot and led officers on a chase through yards of nearby residences. During the foot pursuit, the suspect opened fire, striking Deputy Nguyen in the neck, killing him.
A 16-year-old suspect was later arrested and charged with the murder of Deputy Nguyen. On April 29th, 2010, the subject was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Deputy Nguyen served with Sacramento County Sheriff's Department for seven years. He is survived by his wife.