Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le and His OPD Partner Were ‘Inseparable,’ Family Says

Oakland Police Officers Tuan Le and Donald McKinney (Photo courtesy of GoFundMe)

(KRON) — Oakland police officers Tuan Le and Donald McKinney were “inseparable” until the day Le was killed, family members said.

They graduated from the police academy together in 2020, patrolled the city as crime-fighting partners and relied on their strong friendship, according to McKinney’s wife. Le and McKinney were like brothers, she said.

“On December 29, 2023, Donald and Tuan teamed up to start their shift, just as they had countless times before. Unknowingly, it was the last time they would work together, the last time they would sit next to each other. While responding to a burglary call that night, Donald and Tuan were ambushed while in their vehicle. Both officers were shot multiple times,” wrote the surviving officer’s wife, Anna.

Officers Le and McKinney did not return fire during the ambush. The group of thieves who shot at them fled the store they had robbed near Jack London Square.

Le, 36, was killed in the line of duty. McKinney, who was sitting next to Le in an Oakland Police Department vehicle, survived. The traumatized father of six was unable to return to work at OPD, she said.

“I cannot put into words the immense pain Donald felt at the loss of his brother. There is also an incredible sense of fear that is ever-present after experiencing such a traumatic event. The husband and father of his children, whom we dropped off at work that night, was in many ways a different person who returned home,” Anna wrote.

McKinney’s wife has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his ongoing psychiatric care expenses, as well as for his family of eight. “At this time, there is no set date for Donald to return to work,” the wife wrote.

Four East Bay men have been charged with the murder of Officer Le. Detectives worked around the clock to determine who was part of the group of burglars and who pulled the trigger.

Mark Demetrious Sanders, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder and burglary. Prosecutors believe he was the shooter who fatally shot Le and knew Le was an undercover cop. Allen Starr Brown, 28, and Marquise Cooper, 34, have also been charged with murder. Sebron Ray Russell, 28, has been charged with burglary. Four co-defendants are awaiting trial.

Le is remembered by his fellow OPD officers as a hero. “He will be remembered for his kindness, his smile, and the positive changes he made in the lives of those around him. He is a true hero,” the Oakland Police Department wrote.