FutureSDPDcop
12-21-2006, 06:02 AM
Here is the link..... story follows as well
http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/12/21/news/top_stories/1_01_1111_20_06.txt
Oceanside police officer shot dead in traffic stop
By: JO MORELAND - Staff Writer
OCEANSIDE -- A young police officer was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in an eastern Oceanside neighborhood Wednesday night, city officials said.
The officer was flown by helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he died, said Oceanside police Capt. David Heering. The officer's identity was not released.
Two people who were in the car that was stopped were detained, he said, and police mounted an extensive search with SWAT teams and dogs after reports of two other people having been seen fleeing after the shooting. It was unclear whether the shots came from inside or outside the car.
"We don't know who the assailant was," Heering said. "We're searching the area for a suspect or suspects."
Mayor Jim Wood, a retired police detective, said he went to the scene to provide moral support.
"My prayers and thoughts go out to the family," Wood said. "The officer had a young wife and a 2- or 3-month-old child."
Acting City Manager Barry Martin said the police chief was meeting with the officer's family late in the evening.
"It's a very sad day for Oceanside," Martin said.
The incident began when a female officer made the traffic stop at Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue, near Vandegrift Boulevard, about 6:20 p.m., Heering said. The area is near a back entrance to Camp Pendleton. Soon after the stop, Heering said, the officer called for backup and a male officer arrived.
Ten or 15 minutes after the initial call, the female officer called on the radio to say that shots had been fired and to request additional help.
Dozens of law enforcement officers and firefighters immediately responded from across North County and remained late into the night. One observer described the neighborhood as "a sea of lights and police cars."
Heering could not say whether the gunshots came from the stopped car or somewhere else. There were unconfirmed rumors among neighborhood residents that the shots were fired by a sniper.
Oceanside Councilman Rocky Chavez, who lives a few blocks from the area, said he was alerted to the situation by helicopters overhead.
"It's a tragedy for Oceanside, and everybody knows what a great job police officers do for us," Chavez said. "During this Christmas season, I'm sure everyone's prayers will go out to the family."
The councilman said the shooting is "going to hit the city really hard," Chavez said. "The whole city is still getting over the Zeppetella incident, and this one is soon."
The last Oceanside police officer harmed by a gunman was Officer Tony Zeppetella, who was 27 when he was fatally shot on June 13, 2003, during what began as a routine traffic stop.
Adrian George Camacho, 31, a five-time convicted felon and twice-deported illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of first-degree murder in Zeppetella's death and now sits on California's death row.
Zeppetella was hit 13 times; three of the bullets -- including the two that the county medical examiner's office deemed as the fatal shots -- sliced through Zeppetella's bullet-resistant vest.
An Escondido police watch commander, Lt. Mark Wrisley, said his department had sent one sergeant and seven officers to help out at the scene Wednesday night. Observers said police, California Highway Patrol officers and Sheriff's Department deputies from Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos and other cities were among the dozens of officers at the scene.
A SWAT team was seen going from door to door, and the search continued late into the night, centering on two homes in the 600 block of Arthur Avenue.
"There is a two-block area they are searching right now," Heering said. "As I get more information, I will release it."
Asked whether the officer was wearing a protective vest, Heering said only that it is standard policy for all Oceanside officers to wear the vests.
-- Staff writers David Sterrett, Patrick Wright, Phil Diehl and Teri Figueroa contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.
http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/12/21/news/top_stories/1_01_1111_20_06.txt
Oceanside police officer shot dead in traffic stop
By: JO MORELAND - Staff Writer
OCEANSIDE -- A young police officer was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in an eastern Oceanside neighborhood Wednesday night, city officials said.
The officer was flown by helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he died, said Oceanside police Capt. David Heering. The officer's identity was not released.
Two people who were in the car that was stopped were detained, he said, and police mounted an extensive search with SWAT teams and dogs after reports of two other people having been seen fleeing after the shooting. It was unclear whether the shots came from inside or outside the car.
"We don't know who the assailant was," Heering said. "We're searching the area for a suspect or suspects."
Mayor Jim Wood, a retired police detective, said he went to the scene to provide moral support.
"My prayers and thoughts go out to the family," Wood said. "The officer had a young wife and a 2- or 3-month-old child."
Acting City Manager Barry Martin said the police chief was meeting with the officer's family late in the evening.
"It's a very sad day for Oceanside," Martin said.
The incident began when a female officer made the traffic stop at Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue, near Vandegrift Boulevard, about 6:20 p.m., Heering said. The area is near a back entrance to Camp Pendleton. Soon after the stop, Heering said, the officer called for backup and a male officer arrived.
Ten or 15 minutes after the initial call, the female officer called on the radio to say that shots had been fired and to request additional help.
Dozens of law enforcement officers and firefighters immediately responded from across North County and remained late into the night. One observer described the neighborhood as "a sea of lights and police cars."
Heering could not say whether the gunshots came from the stopped car or somewhere else. There were unconfirmed rumors among neighborhood residents that the shots were fired by a sniper.
Oceanside Councilman Rocky Chavez, who lives a few blocks from the area, said he was alerted to the situation by helicopters overhead.
"It's a tragedy for Oceanside, and everybody knows what a great job police officers do for us," Chavez said. "During this Christmas season, I'm sure everyone's prayers will go out to the family."
The councilman said the shooting is "going to hit the city really hard," Chavez said. "The whole city is still getting over the Zeppetella incident, and this one is soon."
The last Oceanside police officer harmed by a gunman was Officer Tony Zeppetella, who was 27 when he was fatally shot on June 13, 2003, during what began as a routine traffic stop.
Adrian George Camacho, 31, a five-time convicted felon and twice-deported illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of first-degree murder in Zeppetella's death and now sits on California's death row.
Zeppetella was hit 13 times; three of the bullets -- including the two that the county medical examiner's office deemed as the fatal shots -- sliced through Zeppetella's bullet-resistant vest.
An Escondido police watch commander, Lt. Mark Wrisley, said his department had sent one sergeant and seven officers to help out at the scene Wednesday night. Observers said police, California Highway Patrol officers and Sheriff's Department deputies from Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos and other cities were among the dozens of officers at the scene.
A SWAT team was seen going from door to door, and the search continued late into the night, centering on two homes in the 600 block of Arthur Avenue.
"There is a two-block area they are searching right now," Heering said. "As I get more information, I will release it."
Asked whether the officer was wearing a protective vest, Heering said only that it is standard policy for all Oceanside officers to wear the vests.
-- Staff writers David Sterrett, Patrick Wright, Phil Diehl and Teri Figueroa contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.