Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Vu Nguyen was shot while chasing a suspect.
At 2:00 pm, Deputy Nguyen and his partner, both assigned to gang duties, were patrolling in plain clothes when they made an unscheduled stop at a known gang house in the area of 47th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. There, they saw a man who they have never seen before. When they attempted to make contact with the man he fled on foot and led officers on a chase through yards of nearby residences. During the foot pursuit, the suspect opened fire, striking Deputy Nguyen in the neck, killing him.
A 16-year-old suspect was later arrested and charged with the murder of Deputy Nguyen. On April 29th, 2010, the subject was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Deputy Nguyen served with Sacramento County Sheriff's Department for seven years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-32B119AB- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Nguyen gave the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sacramento community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Nguyen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Vu Nguyen is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, 15 of 22 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 68.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Vu Nguyen's cause is highlighted.
How Vu Nguyen Compares
Offender Outcome
Convicted of murder
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Vu Nguyen is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Vu Nguyen was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
21 officers from Sacramento County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
