Massachusetts Police Officer Killed In Shooting, Manhunt Underway
A Massachusetts police officer was shot and killed early on Sunday in Auburn during a traffic stop, and a manhunt is underway to catch the suspect.
According to CBS News, the police officer was shot around 12:30 a.m. on Rochdale Street in Auburn, Massachusetts, and was taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he later died.
Witnesses near the shooting heard several shots. Some claimed to hear four shots, while others claimed to hear up to seven shots, according to the Daily News.
“I heard rapid fire gunshots and and somebody yell, ‘Get down!'” said Phil Berthiaume, who lives in the neighborhood where the Massachusetts police officer was shot. “One police car after another…It was like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, rapid fire, very loud.”
The Massachusetts police officer killed in the shooting was not immediately identified after the shooting, but Auburn police later identified him as Officer Ronald Tarentino, reported FOX25.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. confirmed Tarentino’s death at a press conference at the Auburn police station on Sunday afternoon. The press conference was attended by Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Richard McKeon.
Officer Tarentino was 42-years-old. The police officer once worked for the Leicester Police Department before transferring to Auburn three years ago.
Tarentino left behind a wife and three children, reported the Boston Globe.
Sluckis spoke about Tarentino’s life in Auburn at the press conference and vowed to find the suspect who killed Tarentino.
“The residents of Auburn have lost a dedicated public servant. We will leave no stone unturned to determine who murdered Officer Tarentino.”
Police say Jorge Zambrano of Worcester, Massachusetts, is wanted for questioning about the shooting, according to ABC News. It was not immediately clear if he is suspected of shooting the officer, if he is a possible witness to the shooting, or if he has any role in the shooting situation.
People mourning the loss of the Massachusetts cop lost in the shooting brought flowers to the police station to pay their respects.
Online, people from Massachusetts and all over the country paid their respects and offered condolences to the fallen cop, his family, and his colleagues through posts on Twitter and Facebook.
RIP Officer Ronald Tarentino… May family and friends find some peace during this troubling time.. pic.twitter.com/1RgQRUtQX1
— Renegade Cowboy ?? (@Rene_gadeCowboy) May 22, 2016
A motorcade of about 30 vehicles escorted the body of the fallen officer to the medical examiner’s office in Boston on Sunday morning. Along the way, multiple police officers from Massachusetts were lined up along the route to salute Tarentino.
#WPD officers including @TheIACP President salute the escort of the fallen @AuburnMAPolice officer this morning. pic.twitter.com/2NaDeZfWtp
— Wellesley Police (@WellesleyPolice) May 22, 2016
Auburn, Massachusetts, is about 50 miles west of Boston. It is a small town with less than 17,000 people.
Investigators have remained on the scene in Auburn, Massachusetts, where the cop was shot. State police divers have been searching the water near where the officer was shot for more evidence. No further information is available about the Massachusetts shooting at this time.
[Photo via Shutterstock]
