'Born protector' laid to rest

SACRAMENTO -- In the front row of a cathedral packed with uniformed officers, Detective Vu Nguyen's mother looked at a glossy photo of her son, held it against her chest and then looked at it again.

The moment was a silent reminder of a message that the fallen deputy's commanders, priest and brothers repeated throughout Thursday's funeral service at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament: He was admired and respected and will be missed.

"Honor -- for some, it is something you do," said Sacramento sheriff's Chief Deputy Mark Iwasa. "For others, it is something you say. For Detective Vu Nguyen, it was simply who he was."

An estimated 4,000 people came to pay respects to Vu Dinh Nguyen, 37, who grew up and went to school in Modesto. He died in the line of duty Dec. 19.

Mourners filled the 1,300 seats of the Italian Renaissance cathedral, as well as the Sacramento Convention Center, where some stood to view a live broadcast of the funeral.

Nguyen, a seven-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, was on gang detail in South Sacramento when he was shot while pursuing a fleeing youth on foot.

Wounded by a bullet to the neck, Nguyen was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center but died as a result of the wound.

In less than 12 hours, sheriff's detectives whisked 16-year-old Jimmy Siackasorn from his sister's home to juvenile hall, where he is being held on charges of homicide. Siackasorn, who is being prosecuted as an adult, is due back in court Jan. 28. If convicted, he is not eligible for the death penalty because of his age.

"Clearly, Detective Nguyen put the safety of the persons he was sworn to protect and serve above himself," Sheriff John McGinness said. "In an instant, his valor cost him his life."

'It's breathtaking'

Before a word was uttered in the cathedral, Nguyen was eulogized with the boom of the snare drums echoing between downtown buildings, the hollow whipping of city, county and state flags flown at half-staff and the muted footfalls of hundreds of officers from Stanislaus County to San Diego to Oakland to Truckee marching four abreast.

Joel Ryan, who works near the K Street mall, stopped to watch the procession from the north side of the Capitol to the church.

"The colors -- the black uniforms, the white Capitol and the green," he said noting the tree canopy above the spit-shined officers. "It's breathtaking. I think it's a really appropriate way to honor service to the community."

After the mournful strain of bagpipes gave way to organ music filling the sanctuary, Nguyen's wife, mother, father, two brothers and five sisters filled the front pew.

McGinness and top commanders sat in an adjacent pew and two deputies stood sentinel beside the casket.

Monsignor James Murphy spoke of Nguyen's loss -- to the community, his department, his family and the parish he attended regularly. He called Nguyen a "born protector."

"While today is sad," Murphy said, "it's a proud day for law enforcement. You have lost a brother you can be proud of."

During the services, Murphy announced that the family had called on him to lead a prayer for Nguyen's assailant. Murphy prayed that the "troubled teen" find peace.

The family came to America the day before the fall of Saigon in 1975, said Dr. Thang Nguyen, Vu Nguyen's oldest brother.

Vu Nguyen was 5 when his family escaped Vietnam in the American Embassy airlift.

"Make no mistake about it," Thang Nguyen said, "it was dramatic."

Thang Nguyen said his brother could have fallen into a gang while growing up in a violent neighborhood in Modesto.

A dream achieved

Instead, Vu Nguyen went to Modesto High School, then on to California State University, Sacramento, and the sheriff's academy, where he earned high honors. He achieved his dream of becoming a gang detective in April.

"He ultimately died trying to make a violent neighborhood a safer place," Thang Nguyen said.

Anh Nguyen described his brother as a man with a demeanor like the Terminator's and a heart like Shrek's, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

His brother was compulsively neat, he said, noting that he pinned socks together so they would not be separated in the wash.

Then, choking back tears, he closed his eulogy, addressing his slain brother.

"And I know that he's up there right now thinking ... get over it," Anh Nguyen said. "I'm sorry, brother. I can't let this one go. I love you."

Hundreds of officers filed past the casket before pallbearers hoisted it into a white hearse.

As the hearse pulled away from the cathedral, Fred Morrison saluted.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," said Morrison, a justice with the state Court of Appeals and retired member of the Army National Guard. "Not just the family, but also law enforcement, needs to know that people care about them -- that it's not them against the world."

Hundreds of police and fire cars, with their lights flashing, followed the hearse to East Lawn Memorial Park.

At the burial site, 300 uniformed officers lined the driveway. Under steel-gray skies, the rifle team gave its salute and the pipers played "Amazing Grace."

Fallen comrade remembered

McGinness presented a folded U.S. flag to Nguyen's widow. The sheriff took her hand, and the seven-person honor guard each fired three shots in the air.

Five helicopters appeared in the sky to the west. As they flew over, one broke from formation -- symbolizing their fallen comrade.

When the choppers disappeared, a bugler played "Taps." A deputy led a riderless horse through a sea of saluting officers passing Nguyen's coffin, his widow and his family.

As the horse walked by, his hooves clicking on the pavement, Nguyen's mother began to wail.

This story was originally published December 28, 2007 at 3:54 AM with the headline "'Born protector' laid to rest."