| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Memorial held for Oceanside officer killed during traffic stop
Friday June 20, 2003OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) Thousands of law enforcement officers, friends and relatives of Oceanside Police Officer Tony Zeppetella honored him during a ceremony Friday, one week after he was shot to death during a traffic stop.
Under a gray sky, about 2,500 law enforcement officers formed a long motorcade that made its way from police headquarters to a church where Zeppetella had worshipped with his wife and 6-month-old son, Jakob.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer called the 27-year-old rookie officer ``a hero.'' Oceanside Police Chief Michael Poehlman said Zeppetella died while performing the job he wanted to do.
``He believed he was called to try to protect others. He believed it was his duty to try to keep others safe,'' Poehlman said. ``And he understood the risks. He understood what it meant to walk out of that door and come on in and put on that uniform.''
Zeppetella was shot after stopping a motorist in Oceanside last week.
The suspect, Adrian Camacho, 28, has a history of gang involvement and a criminal record for drug possession and assault. He has pleaded innocent to a charge of murder for Zeppetella's slaying.
During the ceremony Friday, officers representing police departments from across California and Las Vegas turned out in uniform, as did officers from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Border Patrol, and other agencies.
A seven-man rifle team fired three rounds in salute to Zeppetella.
Officers folded a flag that had been draped over his casket and handed it to his wife, Jamie, who sat solemnly next to other family members.
Zeppetella was to be buried in Paso Robles, where he had grown up. He served six years in the Navy before attending the police academy. He joined the Oceanside Police Department .
He was the first Oceanside Police officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1916.
In a statement, Jamie Zeppetella said: ``If there was ever anyone in this world that was my perfect match, it was Tony. ... He was very dedicated to the Lord, to me, to Jakob and to his career ... the things that made up what he called his dream life.''
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