Members of a Metro Police honor guard carry the casket with Metro Police Officer Truong Thai into Central Christian Church for a memorial service in Henderson Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Thai, 49, was killed on Oct. 13 after responding to a domestic disturbance call.
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 | 3:54 p.m.
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Truong Thai never cared much about material things — not money, not prestige, not fame. “To him, it was service, pride, honor, integrity — that was much more meaningful,” his younger brother Thuong Thai said.
Truong Thai, a Metro Police officer, died the way he strived to live, serving his community and protecting others, even as his own life was slipping away.
Thai, who was killed in a shootout Oct. 13 while responding to a domestic disturbance, was remembered today at a funeral service at Central Church in Henderson.
A procession of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances snaked its way from Palm Mortuary near downtown Las Vegas, along the Las Vegas Strip and to the church — an 11-mile trip that took nearly two hours.
An honor guard played drums as the fallen officer’s flag-draped coffin was carried into the church, where family, friends and fellow officers gathered.
“Thai did not back down in the face of danger,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at the funeral service.
“Even when he was mortally wounded, he fired five rounds at the fleeing suspect. He remained facing evil to keep his partner and the other victims on the scene safe,” Lombardo said. “Thai did not give up. He was a helper and a hero to the end.”
Thai and another officer responded to a call from a woman who reported being beaten by her husband, police said. The woman and her mother were located in the 800 block of East Flamingo Road, and the suspect, 24-year-old Tyson Hampton, was sitting in a nearby vehicle, police said.
As Thai approached, Hampton started driving away and opened fire, striking Thai and the woman’s mother, police said. Thai, 49, died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. The other victim survived, police said.
Hampton was arrested on counts including murder and attempted murder, police said.
Officer Carlos Carreon said he met Thai in 2018 when they were teamed up for an overtime shift and immediately learned three things about him.
“First, he was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Second, he enjoyed mentoring and helping young officers. And third, most importantly, he was a great friend,” Carreon said.
Thai’s niece, Janet Thai, said she strives to emulate her uncle’s virtues of bravery, discipline, sacrifice and kindness.
“Even in death, he continues to teach,” she said. “He would want us to come together, lean on and be kind to each other, as he always has,” she said.
She said her uncle had an “uncanny way of encouraging you when you lacked the confidence, assuring you when you doubted yourself and believing in you when you had lost faith.”
Thai served within Metro for 23 years, including as a patrol officer, investigating financial crimes and in the training division. He trained countless younger officers, police said.
He is survived by his 19-year-old daughter, Jada, who loved playing volleyball with her father. Thai was a girls volleyball coach for many years in Las Vegas and was also passionate about boating.
Officer Greg Hilton, who was Thai’s partner for three years, said Thai tried to make the best of any situation.
“In true Thai fashion, let’s make the best of” this situation, Hilton said as he stood next his former partner’s casket, with pictures of Thai behind him. “Let’s learn from it; let’s grow from it. Let us use this experience to help and serve others who might be in need. Thai, I hope to make you proud.”
