Oklahoma man with cancer dies a year after police slammed him to the ground

Lich Vu, 72, died on Oct. 3 surrounded by family, nearly a year after former Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson slammed him to the ground during a traffic stop.

Catch up: Gibson pulled over Vu for allegedly making an illegal U-turn after a minor collision on Oct. 27, 2024. During a dispute over the citation, body camera footage captured Vu, who was about 5’4” tall and weighed 115 to 135 pounds, touching Gibson’s chest with the back of his hand and apparently telling the officer to “shut up.” Gibson responded by throwing Vu to the pavement, knocking him unconscious.

Vu, then 71 and battling bone cancer, sustained fractures to his face and neck along with a brain bleed. He was hospitalized for weeks and underwent surgery. His family said he experienced memory loss and difficulty swallowing as a result, and was unable to continue his cancer treatments.

Final words: After weeks in rehabilitation, Vu could walk only 10 to 15 feet with a walker before becoming bedridden. Before he died in his sleep, he told his wife Lan that “he wants to forgive and does forgive Mr. Joseph Gibson, Officer Gibson, for what he’s done, what he’s caused” and that “he’d like to go peacefully,” said Thuan Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese American Heritage Community of Oklahoma. Rather than flowers or money, he requested that people feed the homeless and help others in need. A moment of silence was held the following evening at the Asian Market Festival.

What Gibson is saying: In reports filed after the incident, Gibson claimed that Vu “fell” rather than acknowledging he threw him down. Gibson similarly told paramedics, “I grabbed ahold of him. He fell. He hit his head whenever he fell. Pretty hard.” Surveillance video from a nearby business, meanwhile, captured Gibson twice grabbing his supervisor’s vest, apparently demonstrating what he claimed Vu did to him.

Atty. Devon Jacob attributed Vu’s death to the assault, saying police brutality caused catastrophic injuries and medical complications that hastened his death, and that Gibson robbed Vu of his health, independence and precious time with his family.

Legal challenge continues: Gibson left the police department in March. District Atty. Vick Behenna charged him with aggravated assault and battery in December 2024, but Atty. Gen. Gentner Drummond took over the prosecution and dropped it, declaring the incident would not have happened if Vu had kept his hands to himself. Drummond, currently running for governor with backing from Oklahoma’s Fraternal Order of Police, was initially named as a defendant in the federal case. An OKCPD Internal Affairs officer, however, contradicted Drummond’s reasoning in a probable cause affidavit, determining the force was unreasonable considering Vu’s size, age and health.

Vu and his wife filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April naming Gibson and Oklahoma City as defendants.