OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A public viewing will be held Wednesday for an Oceanside police officer fatally shot last week while assisting with a traffic stop.

Officer Dan Bessant, 25, was gunned down while responding to a call for backup from a fellow officer at Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue about 6:30 p.m. last Wednesday.

A three-hour viewing will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Ambassador Church, 1602 S. El Camino Real.

A funeral procession is scheduled to be held at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The procession will begin at the Oceanside Police Department headquarters, 3855 Mission Ave., and end at New Venture Church on 4000 Mystra Way.

At least 1,000 people, including local residents and law enforcement officers from throughout the state, are expected to attend a subsequent 10 a.m. funeral ceremony Thursday at the New Venture Church, according to the North County Times.

The roads along the funeral procession route for Bessant will be subject to closure on Thursday December 28 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. The Police Department suggests that people planning to attend the funeral service arrive before 8:30 a.m. to avoid delays.

The funeral procession will start at the Oceanside Police Department at approximately 8:30 a.m. and end at the New Venture Church.

The procession route is as follows:

Southbound El Camino Real from Oceanside Police Department to eastbound Highway 78 (outside agencies staged at Carlsbad mall will join here)
Eastbound Hwy 78 to College Blvd
Southbound College Blvd to Lake Blvd
Eastbound Lake Blvd to Cannon
Southbound Cannon to New Venture Church located at 4000 Mystra Way

Note: The section of Highway 78 subject to closure will be eastbound Highway 78 from Jefferson to College Blvd.

A 17-year-old admitted gang member accused of shooting Bessant pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and attempted murder charges.

Meki Gaono, who will be tried as an adult, was ordered held on $5 million bail. Vista Superior Court Judge David G. Brown scheduled a Feb. 6 preliminary hearing and a Jan. 9 readiness conference.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Manning said Gaono made statements that he fired a rifle with a scope at the officer from 320 feet away.

Bessant, a three-year department veteran, was shot in his left armpit while helping Officer Karina Pina, 28, who had requested backup after stopping a motorist for a traffic violation. Pina had a woman riding along with her at the time. The two women and Bessant were all standing by a patrol car when the shot rang out.

Bessant, the father of a 2-month-old boy, was pronounced dead a short time later at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, OPD Sgt. Leonard Mata said.

Gaono was arrested the next morning, and a 16-year-old was booked Thursday night. The 16-year-old boy is being held on an unspecified probation violation, but officials did not immediately say when or if he would be charged in connection with Bessant's slaying.

Manning would not comment on the motive for the shooting, saying the case was still under investigation. The neighborhood where the killing occurred -- near Camp Pendleton's back gate -- has been the location of several gang-related shootings, said Oceanside police Capt. Dave Heering.

Gaono is charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder, along with the special circumstance of murder of a police officer, gang allegations and weapons allegations.

Gaono is a former El Camino High School student but has been attending a continuation school, officials said. He, as well as the second suspect, has a minor juvenile record.

Because of his age, Gaono is not facing the death penalty. He could receive life without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Contributions to the Dan Bessant Memorial Fund can be made to account No. 3133219879 at any Washington Mutual Bank.