Suspect In Fatal Shooting Of Auburn Police Officer Dead Following Standoff; Trooper Injured

AUBURN (CBS) -- The suspect in a fatal shooting of an Auburn police officer is dead after a standoff Sunday afternoon.

The suspect, Jorge Zambrano, 35, of Worcester, was killed in a shootout with police in an Oxford home.

Police said Officer Ronald Tarentino, 42, was shot by Zambrano during a traffic stop around 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Rochdale Street in Auburn.

Officer Tarentino was taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester where he was pronounced dead.

Zambrano fled in a vehicle after the shooting, according to police. Authorities tracked Zambrano to a duplex apartment in Oxford, where they surrounded the building.

Lisa Girard, who lives on the street, gave the police high marks.

"They did an amazing amazing job," said Girard. "They were beyond patient with this suspect, they talked to him the whole time, they went in with tear gas with the dogs."

A man who lives in the building says he tried to convince Zambrano to surrender, but Zambrano was unresponsive.

"The suspect appeared from inside a closet and fired on the troopers striking one of them,"State Police Colonel Richard McKeon said in a press conference Sunday evening. "The STOP team returned fire and struck the suspect, inflicting life-threatening injuries."

Officials say the trooper, who was shot in the shoulder, will undergo surgery and is expected to survive. Authorities have not released the name of the trooper injured in the shootout but say he is a former Navy SEAL and an 18-year veteran of the department who serves on the Special Tactical Operations Team.

Tarentino leaves behind a wife and three children. Tarentino had been with the Auburn Police Department for two years. He previously worked as an officer with Leicester Police.

"The residents of Auburn have lost a brave and dedicated public servant," Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis said. "We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation to determine who was involved."

Officers saluted as the fallen officer's body was taken into the medical examiner's office Sunday morning.

His body was then transported by police procession to a funeral home in Leicester. Law enforcement officers from multiple departments were present along the route to pay their respects.

Tarentino is the first police officer shot to death in Massachusetts in three years. In 2013, MIT Police Officer Sean Collier was killed in his cruiser by the Boston Marathon bombers.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports