Oceanside Police Mourn Slain Officer
06/14/03 - Oceanside, North Carolina
www.heraldtribune.com 


A reputed gang member remained jailed Saturday after he allegedly shot a
rookie policeman during a traffic stop - the first Oceanside officer
killed in the line of duty in nearly 90 years.

Tony Zeppetella, 27, of Oceanside, was shot in the neck at about 5 p.m.
Friday and died at a hospital, nearby. Alleged gang member Adrian 
Carmacho of Oceanside was arrested at a nearby home where he surrendered 
peacefully after about a five-hour standoff, police said.

Zeppetella had been on the force for 13 months. He is survived by a wife 
and a 6-month old son.

"The entire department is shaken by this," Capt. David Heering said.

The last time an officer in the small department near the Camp Pendleton
Marine base died in the line of duty was in 1916, police said.

The shooting occurred in a parking lot outside a Navy Federal Credit Union 
building. The officer had pulled over Camacho in front of a large crowd
headed to the credit union on a military payday, police said.

"He went up and made contact with the driver," Herring said. "I don't know 
what was said. Within seconds, the officer was shot."

The attacker then stole Zeppetella's car, abandoning it later near
a park and running to a house about a mile away, where he surrendered 
shortly before 10 p.m., police said.

Zeppetella was flown to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, where he died.

Funeral services were pending.


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