Gentner Drummond
Attorney General of Oklahoma
During an argument over a traffic ticket, an Oklahoma City police officer slammed a 71-year-old Vietnamese-American man to the ground, fracturing his neck. The local district attorney was going to charge the officer with felony assault, but Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond dismissed the charges.
On October 27, 2024, Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson responded to a minor vehicle collision involving Lich Vu, a 71 year old Vietnamese-American.
Gibson asked Vu to sign a citation, but Vu appeared reluctant. Evidently, Vu questioned why he was issued a citation, Vu tapped Gibson on the chest before placing an index finger to his mouth, apparently telling Gibson to shut up. Gibson grabbed Vu’s arms, twisted them behind his back, threw him to the ground, slamming his head, and handcuffed him. Vu was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 120 pounds.
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Vu suffered a brain bleed (acute subdural hemorrhage), cuts (laceration), fractured eye socket (orbital fractures), and neck fractures. He was hospitalized for several weeks.
No charges were filed against Vu.
The police department placed Gibson on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal criminal and administrative investigations.
A veteran officer investigated and consulted department instructors. In a probable cause affidavit, the internal affairs officer wrote, “Due to Vu’s size, age, and the seriousness of the crime committed, it is believed the amount of force used by the defendant was not reasonable.”
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna reviewed the evidence and in December 2024, charged Gibson with aggravated assault and battery.
Days later, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond overruled Behenna and dismissed the charges, arguing that Gibson followed his training and Vu should not have laid a finger on him.
“As Attorney General, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training,” Drummond said in a statement. “While the outcome of this incident is unquestionably devastating for Mr. Vu and his family, I do not believe the officer exhibited criminal intent.”
Behenna criticized Drummond for intervening in the case rather than allowing a judge and jury to decide. “I am surprised and disappointed that Attorney General Gentner Drummond took this case away from my office and the citizens of Oklahoma County,” she wrote.
Gibson resigned from the police force in March 2025.
Vu filed a federal lawsuit alleging civil rights violations against officer Gibson, Oklahoma City and Attorney General Drummond.
This is the second time that Drummond has taken over an Oklahoma County District Attorney case and dismissed it. In February 2023, the prosecutor charged then-Rep. Terry O’Donnell and his wife with conspiring to change state law so she could succeed her mother as a tag agent. Drummond dismissed this case.
Vu served with the South Vietnamese Air Force during the Vietnam War, immigrated to the U.S., lived in Oklahoma City for decades, and volunteered at homeless shelters and at polling locations during elections. He recently struggled with bone cancer.
After Gibson assaulted him on October 27, 2024, Vu’s health rapidly deteriorated. He spent weeks in a hospital and rehabilitation. He left rehabilitation with a walker and was able to walk only 10–15 feet at a time. He struggled with balance, and within weeks of leaving rehabilitation, he became bedridden. While Vu had bone cancer before the incident, the assault caused catastrophic injuries and medical complications that hastened his death on October 3, 2025.
Drummond is running for governor of Oklahoma. To defeat him, contribute to his Republican rivals such as Charles McCall at https://mccallforoklahoma.com/ or Democrat Cyndi Munson (who is Asian American) at https://www.cyndimunson.com/
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