Seeking the Whole Picture

At the center of the shrine to Hao Dinh Vu was his photo, and a collage of items that told the story of a man and his passions: fruit, pastries, a bottle of beer and the cigars he loved to puff in the converted garage that served as his bedroom.

More telling were the 200 or so friends and relatives who arrived to honor the lanky 34-year-old who was shot and killed during a July 2 altercation with police in front of Sunnyside Elementary School on Russell Avenue in Garden Grove.

Though they lit candles and incense and offered quiet respect at the makeshift memorial, Vu’s supporters were vocal about what they labeled inappropriate police action.

“The reason we came here is because we know for sure my younger brother is an innocent person,” James Vu, 46, of Santa Ana said as he was surrounded by supporters who waved signs critical of police. “It’s an unjustified shooting.”

As is routine, the Orange County district attorney’s office is investigating the incident. Garden Grove police declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

“The investigation will take about a month. Then we’ll be able to answer some of the questions that people are asking,” said Assistant Dist. Atty. Chris Evans, who added that investigators are seeking witnesses to the shooting.

On the day of the shooting, police said they were responding to a 12:15 p.m. call from neighbors who reported seeing a man wielding a knife. Officers said when they arrived, Vu fled. After a brief chase, they confronted him near the school, police said. He refused orders to drop the blade and then allegedly lunged toward an officer, who opened fire, police said.

James Vu said he cannot reconcile that version of events with his knowledge of his brother. James Vu said his brother, who lived with family members a few blocks from the school, ate breakfast the morning of July 2, took a shower and went for a walk. He contends that his brother did not carry a knife and “was a very peaceful man.”

Attorney James V. Reiss, who represents Vu’s family, said he will launch an independent investigation. He said he plans to hire a private coroner to examine the body.

“The community wants to know if the investigation matches what they were told by witnesses,” Reiss said.

Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam, a well-known figure in the Vietnamese American community, was one of many who came to pay his respects. He said he supports the investigations.

“I hope there can be a full inquiry into this matter so it can give the family and community the whole picture,” Lam said.

Brandon Camacho, 13, a neighbor of Vu’s, visited the shrine Friday and said he saw part of the confrontation between Vu and police.

“I peered over the gate and saw the cops yelling, ‘Put the knife down!’ ” he recalled.

Camacho said Vu did not drop the knife and then ran from his view. He said he later heard five or six shots. The school was closed for the summer and no children were on campus at the time of the shooting.

The teenager fondly recalled Vu. “I talked to him in the garage that he lived in,” Camacho said. “He’d be smoking cigars.”

In addition to stogies, Vu enjoyed listening to classical music on vinyl records, which he preferred to compact discs. He also liked art, history, electronics and collected antiques, those who knew him said.

“He’s very smart and likes to learn the different cultures of the world,” said Quinh Loan Dao, Vu’s 46-year-old sister from Anaheim. “He surprised me a lot. I feel very bad to lose him.”

Hao Dinh Vu immigrated to Orange County from Saigon in 1991, Dao said. Her brother lived with his parents and worked as a handyman and in other jobs but was recently unemployed.

His disposition was quiet, Dao said. “He didn’t complain about anything,” she said.