Vietnamese-American male student shot dead by US police right before graduation day

A young Vietnamese-American man holding a pen was shot dead by Washington state police for allegedly possessing a "sharp object".

Tommy Le, 20, a Vietnamese American, was shot dead by Washington state police on June 13. Photo: Seattle Times.

Vietnamese American YouthTommy Le, 20, was arrested by policeKing County, Washingtonshot dead on the night of June 13, just hours before his high school graduation, the Seattle Times reported on June 29.

The incident occurred when police received an emergency call about a subject with a sharp object, possibly a knife, threatening people near a boulevard in the city of Burien. A nearby resident told the dispatcher that he was forced to fire a warning shot at the subject, later identified as Tommy Le.

When Le approached, the man ran into the house to hide. According to police, Le repeatedly banged on the witness's door and screamed that he was "the Creator."

Police approached and asked Le to throw "what they thought was a knife" on the ground.Sergeant Cindi West,King County Sheriff's Department representative confirmed and added that two police officers present at the scene used stun guns to control Le but were unsuccessful.

Police officer Cesar Molina shot Tommy Le three times and the young man was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries.

A week after the incident, King County police concluded that the sharp object they thought was the murder weapon was actually a pen.

"I'm so angry," said Sunny Le, the victim's father. "I want to know what happened to my son." The 20-year-old man weighed less than 50 kilograms, according to the Seattle Times.

The school where Le was attending said that student Tommy Le was not the person described by police.

"He's not the violent type. He's a good kid," said teacher Curt Peterson.

Classmate Nafisa Mohamednur shared on Facebook that Tommy Le was "one of the best classmates" and someone who always brought laughter to everyone.

Investigators are conducting tests to see if Le was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

According to VNE