MODESTO BOY, 11, SHOT BY SWAT TEAM

MODESTO -- An 11-year-old Modesto boy was fatally shot early Wednesday when
a police SWAT team on a federal narcotics sweep raided his parents' home.
Police said the shooting was an accident.

Alberto Sepulveda, a seventh-grader at Prescott Senior Elementary School in
Modesto, was pronounced dead in his home. He died from one shotgun round to
the back, Police Chief Roy Wasden said.

"Our entire department is in shock," Wasden said. "And our heartfelt
sympathy goes out to the family of the child and the officers who were
involved in this tragic incident."

Neither Wasden nor Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent Robert Dey would
reveal details of the shooting or the raid.

Wasden said those details won't be available until investigations have been
completed.

The shot came from Officer David Hawn, whose weapon accidentally discharged
during the raid, Wasden said.

Hawn, a 21-year department veteran, has served on the SWAT team for 18
years. Following department policy, Hawn was placed on paid administrative
leave.

Hawn and six others entered the house at 2524 McAdoo Ave. to secure it so
federal drug agents could serve drug warrants.

The boy's father, Moises Sepulveda, was arrested and booked on charges of
methamphetamine trafficking. The boy's mother and two other children, ages
8 and 14, were home during the raid.

A sergeant and six officers knocked on the door at 6:16 a.m. Five minutes
later, a call went out for an ambulance and fire department personnel.

As is routine with officer-involved shootings, separate investigations are
being conducted by the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office, the
police department and the Modesto City Attorney's Office.

"Our preliminary investigation indicates that the shooting was accidental,"
Wasden said.

After the shooting, neighbors stood in front of their homes, wondering what
happened. Police officers with folded arms talked in small groups.

"It's a war zone all around this village," said Charley Ney, 44, who lives
near McAdoo Avenue. "It gets crazy sometimes."

By Wednesday night, neighbors were exchanging feelings of shock, concern
and grief.

"I didn't ever think anything like this could happen at that house, to that
family," said former next-door neighbor Nadia Chuca, 23. "It's just sad
that this happened to an 11-year-old. I saw him grow up."

Federal and local narcotics agents, including the FBI, began a drug
trafficking investigation in January 1999, said Dey, assistant special
agent in charge of the San Francisco Field Division of the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration.

The drug ring -- most of whose members reside in Stanislaus County --
manufactured, sold and distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, Dey
said.

During the investigation, agents discovered three methamphetamine labs,
including one capable of producing about 50 pounds of the drug at a time.

The agencies recently completed the investigation and obtained arrest
warrants for 14 residences around the county.

Because of the violent nature of the methamphetamine trade, SWAT teams are
routinely used to secure residences before federal agents go in.

"Unfortunately, we're seeing more and more defendants with guns," Dey said.
"We try to take all the precautions to avoid anyone getting hurt. This is a
tragic situation for all parties involved."

Wednesday's raids led to 12 arrests on federal drug charges and two
additional drug arrests on probable cause, Dey said.