Oakland police officers killed in line-of-duty remembered

(KRON) — Fifty-five names were read aloud Thursday to honor and remember Oakland Police Department officers who died in the line-of-duty.

OPD Police Chief Floyd Mitchell and family members of fallen officers gathered together for a memorial procession and ceremony at the Oakland Police Department.

Since the OPD was formed in 1853, fifty-five officers gave their lives protecting residents. Within the past decade, three OPD officers died from injuries suffered while on duty, according to the Oakland Police Officers Association:

Oakland Police Department Officer Jordan Wingate died on April 20, 2024 from injuries he suffered in a car crash while on duty. The crash happened on August 13, 2018 and Wingate spent six years on life support. The former “Rookie of the Year” was surrounded by his family, including retired OPD Captain Randell Wingate, when he passed at the age of 28.

Oakland Police Department Officer Tuan Le was fatally shot on Dec. 29, 2023 while responding to a burglary. A group of men ran from a burglarized business near Jack London Square and fled in getaway vehicles. Someone in the fleeing group opened fire and killed 36-year-old Le. 

Le was born in Saigon, Vietnam and graduated from Oakland High School. The four-year OPD veteran served as a Community Resource Officer in West Oakland, and he helped strengthen relationships between law enforcement and local residents.

Oakland Police Department Officer Paul Carlisle conducted a traffic stop of a stolen vehicle at the intersection of 16th Street and Broadway in 1976, according to Officer Down Memorial Page. As Officer Carlisle ordered the driver from the car, the driver shot the officer through his spinal cord. The shooter was a parolee with a prior murder conviction. Carlisle died on December 1st, 2015 from complications of the gunshot spinal wound, ODMP wrote.

Carlisle served in the U.S. Army and was a native of Oakland, his obituary states.

Former president John F. Kennedy proclaimed May as National Peace Officers Memorial month.