Often, during training sessions for deputy recruits at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, David Nguyen would yell out a gleeful “Yeah, baby!” to inspire others. The expression didn’t go unnoticed; it brought Nguyen additional laps and leg squats.
It also became a part of the 172nd Training Academy that will endure forever.
“To honor David,” Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern told mourners at Nguyen’s funeral Monday, “the class added, ‘Yeah Baby!’ to its academy sign.”
Nguyen’s family, academy mates, and other friends all turned out to Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Livermore to honor and lay to rest the deputy recruit who died earlier this month in freeway gunfire near the Bay Bridge. Nguyen was 28.
Nguyen, who also served in the California National Guard, received full military honors. His closed casket was adorned with an American flag.
The sheriff’s office live-streamed the funeral, during which others told similar stories that captured a spirit they said affected their lives almost instantly.
“David’s energy was infectious,” fellow recruit Isaac Demma said. “He was one of the most motivating individuals I ever met.”
Cynthia Nguyen, David’s sister, told the story of the last time she spoke to him. She was playing a card game and had been dared to call a person she admired.
“I called David,” she said.
“Deep down, I always wanted to be like him,” she added. “Everywhere he went, I went. Everything he did, I did. He was an amazing person, the best friend anyone could ask for. My role model.”
The California Highway Patrol is investigating Nguyen’s shooting and has not made any arrests. Nguyen was driving on the connector from westbound Interstate 580 to Interstate 80 on Jan. 4 when he was shot. He was not in uniform and was driving home to San Francisco after a day in the training academy.
The Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Nguyen’s killer.
An online fundraiser seeking $100,000 for funeral and other expenses had raised $84,000 by 1:30 p.m. Monday
“Even though David is no longer with us physically, his spirit and his energy will live on in us and through us for as long as we live,” Demma said. “Even now, I can feel his energy and his presence encouraging us to live and honor his memory by being as motivated and as tenacious he was.”