Suspects in killing of Oakland police officer still on the run, officials say

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The search continued Saturday for suspects wanted for taking the life of an Oakland Police officer, more than 24 hours after Officer Tuan Le was killed in the line of duty. Le was shot while he and other officers were responding to a burglary in progress at a cannabis business.

There was a growing memorial inside Oakland Police Department headquarters for the 36-year-old officer, killed Friday morning in the line of duty.

Police officials say Le was a 4-year veteran of the force. He was shot while he and other officers were responding to a burglary underway at a cannabis business at Embarcadero and Fifth Streets. Fellow officers paid their respects to their fallen comrade Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, we saw no investigators on scene but there was evidence of what happened there. Several smashed vehicles were still visible. Police say suspects are still on the run.

RELATED: Oakland officer shot, killed in line of duty ID'd as Tuan Le, a 4-year veteran

The Oakland police officer shot and killed in line of duty early Friday has been identified as Tuan Le, a 4-year veteran of the force, police said.

In a statement, OPD said, "The investigation into the circumstances which led to the tragic death of an OPD officer on December 29th is still active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821."

"He's always been a great officer, and he was a gem for our neighborhood and community," said Keisha Henderson.

Henderson got to know Officer Le as a community resource officer in her West Oakland neighborhood.

"He always made me feel respected as a community member. I didn't feel like because I lived in a high crime neighborhood, that he didn't understand me or want to make a change because things have been like this for so long," Henderson said.

His presence was a big deal to the Asian community says the president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.

"Often times, our communities don't speak up. Our officers reassure them that by filing reports, by building a relationship with the officer their concerns are heard," said Dr. Jennifer Tran, Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.

Le's death is a shock to many communities, especially Oakland's Little Saigon and Chinatown.

"As they are weathering the fear and trauma of being the next victim to violent crime or property crime or vandalism, they would think that with the police officers they feel a little safer," said Tran.

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

Tran says Le's death raises all sorts of questions about the safety and security of Oakland's neighborhoods and communities.

"What is the response from our leadership and what actions are they going to take, particularly around the state of the chief OPD and these are questions we are asking not just in the Vietnamese community, not just in the API community, but in the overall Oakland community," said Tran.

Full Acts Gospel Church Bishop Bob Jackson is an Oakland NAACP member. He says the tragic shooting comes just days after Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rejected a list of police chief candidates from the Police Commission.

"Oakland will work tirelessly with all law enforcement partners to find those responsible for this assault in our city and killing of our police officer," Thao said Friday.

For now, a community is mourning the passing of an officer who dedicated his life to keeping Oakland safe.

"A tragic loss for the City of Oakland," Henderson said.

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