Officer in friendly fire incident reassigned from SWAT team

Dallas veteran accidentally shot a colleague during a February drug raid

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AP
03/23/06

DALLAS - A SWAT team member faulted in a possible friendly fire incident during a drug raid that ended with him and three other officers wounded last month will be reassigned at his request, authorities said Wednesday.

Sgt. Kenneth Wilkins accidentally shot Cpl. Dale Hackbarth and may have shot himself in the hand, according to the preliminary findings of a police investigation.

Police are determining whether to take disciplinary action and are reviewing policies across the division that oversees SWAT operations, said Deputy Chief Jesse Reyes.

SWAT team members were serving a warrant last month on Alejandro Tamayo, an alleged methamphetamine dealer, when police say Tamayo fired at them from behind the door of his home in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Tamayo's shots hit Senior Cpls. Adolfo Perez and Harry Deltufo, according to police.

Tamayo has been charged in the shootings of all four officers, but Reyes said the investigation revealed that Wilkins hit Hackbarth from behind in the leg and may have shot himself in the hand.