EXCLUSIVE: After meeting with DA Price, Jasper Wu's family is still worried they won't get 'justice'
ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Criticism is mounting over the Alameda County district attorney's new policy and her recent messaging that could drastically change the sentencing for the men accused in the shooting death of a 2-year-old on an Oakland highway and other cases. The concerns come after the family of Jasper Wu met with District Attorney Pamela Price this week and in the wake of controversial messaging toward the Asian American community.
When ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim sat down with An Wu and her husband one month ago, they expressed concerns over Price's new guidelines, outlined in an internal district attorney's office email not allowing prosecutors to "file or require defendants' plea to sentencing enhancements."
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Those worries were made tenfold this week after Price met with the Wu family on Tuesday afternoon.
An Wu spoke through an interpreter who said, "She still worries it won't be the full extent of sentencing." And continued to say, "I cannot stop worrying about the possibility of her (Price) not pursuing the maximum penalty to the three suspects and bringing justice."
Jasper Wu was tragically shot on November 6, 2021, during what law enforcement calls "rolling gunfire" between rival gangs on Interstate 880.
Prior to that meeting Lim also obtained a series of emails, which Price sent to members of the Asian American community and county supervisors. In one, she claims "certain vocal members of the local Chinese community and media including reporter Dion Lim... misled the public."
In another email one week later, Price addresses "Chinese communities" calling many "misinformed" and blamed for "spreading misinformation."
It's something that did not sit well with An Wu. "I don't think we are, or the Chinese Community... we were not misinformed."
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The National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association, a group of mostly federal, local and state prosecutors also took issue with the emails and issued a letter denouncing Price's messaging to the public.
Co-founder of the group, Paul Jhin told Lim, "It was a little condescending. It was discussing how people some people, referring to Asian Americans and Chinese Americans don't know the basic constitutional law and basic rights and laws like innocent until proven guilty. I felt a little offended and I think APIs, we need to speak out more. We saw this (email) and felt like we had to respond."
NAPIPA also invited DA Price to meet.
"We don't want to be divisive, we don't want to split things up we want to work together and come to a solution where there is justice for Jasper and everyone involved in this particular case and all cases," said Jhin.
Price also released a series of videos on social media after meeting with the Wu family defending her office and calling the media out again.
Price said in the first video, in part, "Some people, including reporters, are saying things that are not based on facts."
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In a second video, Price expressed sympathy for Jasper's murder but also claimed the case was being used to attack her office.
"This particular tragedy is being used by people with a political agenda. Racist messages that my office has received and directed at me are unprecedented," said Price.
While Wu was hesitant to comment too much about her feelings about DA Price, she asks for one thing.
"I would like to see the maximum sentencing to the fullest extent be charged in Jasper's case."
Jhin expanded on that messaging saying, "We want to make sure DA Price is transparent. We hope she vigorously prosecutes violent criminals, especially API victims of crimes. We just want to make sure in these kinds of cases we're not talking about non-carceral forms of accountability. When you're talking about a roving gang shootout on a freeway where a 2-year-old is shot... It's the most egregious crime and I hope they're punished to the most extreme extent of the law."
Lim reached out to Pam Price's office and was told she was not available for comment but referred Lim back to Price's most recent social media video for information.
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