OCEANSIDE - Detectives investigating the shooting death of Oceanside police Officer Dan Bessant have obtained records from the social networking Web site MySpace.com that they believe could help locate "other suspects and co-conspirators" in the case, a court document stated.

In an affidavit filed with the Superior Court to obtain a search warrant, Detective Gordon Govier wrote that he believes a Web page on MySpace.com belongs to Meki Walker Gaono Jr., 17, who has been charged as an adult with murder in connection with Bessant's death.

The Web page states that it is "private" and that the site user must add a visitor as a friend before that person is able to see more information. Govier wrote in the affidavit that much of the communication that occurs on MySpace.com is done privately between friends and is not accessible without a search warrant.

Judge Timothy Casserly authorized the search warrant Dec. 22 and Govier obtained subscriber information records from MySpace.com on Dec. 23, according to a search warrant inventory filed with the court Friday.

Bessant, 25, was shot and killed about 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at the intersection of Arthur Avenue and Gold Drive while helping another officer with a traffic stop. The shooting occurred "within the turf" claimed by a predominately Samoan criminal street gang with which Gaono is affiliated, Govier wrote in the affidavit.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Manning said last week that Gaono told investigators he is a gang member.

Police have said the deadly shot was fired from about a half-block away, and that the occupants of the car that was stopped were not involved in the shooting.

Gaono has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to return to court Tuesday, and a preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 6. A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody on suspicion of violating his probation in another case but has not been charged in connection with the Bessant shooting.

Govier wrote that witnesses saw suspects fleeing into nearby homes after the shooting. One witness saw a suspect with what looked like a rifle go into an Arthur Avenue residence where Gaono, who matched the description the witness gave, was located, Govier wrote.

In a police interview, Gaono "made several statements that indicated his involvement in the homicide," Govier wrote.

After being advised of his rights, Gaono "confessed to participating in the shooting and later led officers to two weapons at his residence, which he claimed to have used to shoot at Officer Bessant," Govier wrote.

The day after the shooting occurred, Govier searched MySpace.com for "Meki" and located the Web page he believes belongs to Gaono. The page states it belongs to a 17-year-old male in Oceanside, contains a cartoon and title that appear to be gang affiliated, and has a "profile headline" on the page that refers to Rusty Seau, a gang member shot and killed in 2005 by a rival gang, Govier wrote in the affidavit.

"By obtaining the MySpace.com customer's records, I expect to develop investigative leads that will assist in identifying the physical location the computer was logged onto the Internet from and therefore providing us with possible location(s) for other suspects and co-conspirators," Govier wrote. "By obtaining communications between these subjects, it is likely we would locate documentation on what happened before, during and after the shooting."

Sgt. Leonard Mata, an Oceanside police spokesman, said seeking information from MySpace.com has become more common for police as the Web site has gained in popularity.

"It depends on the crime," Mata said. "If a person posts a profile and a blog and information about their life, it's going to be of interest to investigators."

People in gangs or other groups communicate with one another on MySpace.com, Mata said.

"Whatever's accessible, if we think it will benefit the investigation, we'll take a look at it," Mata said.

Launched in 2004, MySpace.com is visited by almost 60 million people in the United States each month, according to the company.

MySpace.com "has created streamlined procedures" for law enforcement officials to get information they need in investigations and runs a hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to law enforcement officials in emergency and nonemergency situations, according to the company.

Manning, the prosecutor assigned to Gaono's case, could not be reached Wednesday for comment. Mata said he did not have any updated information to release Wednesday about the ongoing investigation.

- Contact staff writer Scott Marshall at (760) 631-6623 or smarshall@nctimes.com.

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