12/31/2007 10:10:00 AM

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. --

A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a Sacramento County deputy, Sheriff John McGinness said.

Detective Vu Nguyen, with the sheriff's gang unit, was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon in south Sacramento as he chased a man on foot.

About 300 deputies, officers, and SWAT teams searched the area near the shooting for the gunman late into Wednesday night.

Because of his age, the suspect's name isn't being released yet, but he is expected to be tried as an adult. McGinness said officers found the teen at a family member's home less than 12 hours after the shooting.

"He identified himself as a gang affiliate," the sheriff said.

According to McGinness, the teen is small and has a slight build -- not the type of person you'd typically fear, he said, and was not enrolled in school. But the teen was part of "a subculture in which life has no value," McGinness said.

McGinness said the sheriff's department is satisfied as to the suspect's sole participation in the crime but that the investigation is ongoing.

The suspect is being held at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall without bail.

The sheriff said Nguyen was a seven-year veteran of the force, with three years on the gang unit.

"It's high-risk law enforcement work, and the heroes who do this stuff on a regular basis are aware of that risk. This reinforces that, but they're all out there today doing the same thing," McGinness said.

Minh Thi, a radio host with Radio TNT 1690 Viet News in Sacramento, said the station has received many phone calls about Nguyen's death and that the news hit home for many listeners because he was a part of the Vietnamese community.

"He was an excellent detective. He was very good at what he did. He was happy with his assignment," Street Gang Unit Supervisor Rod Norgard said in a statement.

Norgard said that Nguyen had just finished testifying in a gang trial.

Capt. Trang To, Nguyen's mentor at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, said he saw great potential in his co-worker. To said Nguyen had great officer instincts and professionalism and was passionate about the gang unit.

He is survived by his wife, Phanh. The couple was married in April.

Nguyen became a gang detective around the same time he got married.

Nguyen is from Modesto. He was a graduate of Modesto High School and California State University, Sacramento.

Nguyen was instrumental in the double homicide investigation of a Vietnamese south Sacramento jewelry store in 2003.

Flags at county facilities and at the Capitol were at half-staff Thursday in honor of the deputy.

Nguyen is the 16th Sacramento County sheriff's deputy to die in the line of duty in nearly 160 years.

Jeffrey Mitchell was shot to death in the line of duty in October 2006 during a traffic stop in Sacramento County. Mitchell's killer has not been found.

Services for Nguyen are pending.