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Yarmouth Police Officer Shot, Killed While Serving Warrant

BARNSTABLE (CBS) – A Yarmouth police officer was shot and killed at a Barnstable home Thursday afternoon and the suspect has been arrested.

K9 Officer Sean Gannon, 32, was among the officers serving an arrest warrant at a home on Blueberry Lane in the Marstons Mills village when he was shot and fatally wounded. Officer Gannon's K9 partner, Nero, was reportedly injured in the incident.

Officer Sean Gannon shooting
The Barnstable home where Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon was killed, April 12, 2018.(WBZ-TV)

The suspect, 29-year-old Tom Latanowich of Somerville, was taken into custody after a lengthy standoff with police while remaining barricaded inside the home. Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe says Latanowich will be charged with murder.

A massive police presence was seen in the area of Blueberry Lane and nearby Lakeside Drive. A SWAT team rolled into the neighborhood shortly after Officer Gannon was taken to Cape Cod Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Sean Gannon
Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon and K9 Nero (WBZ-TV)

Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson says Gannon was with the department for eight years and leaves behind a wife.

"Sean was a wonderful, great young man. And I'm not just saying that. He just, the sky was the limit," Frederickson said. "We will miss him terribly. Our department is going to miss him terribly."

Barnstable shooting
A Yarmouth Police officer was shot in Marstons Mills (WBZ-TV)

The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Police did not provide further detail on the warrant the officers were trying to serve, other than to say that it was a multi-agency warrant search.

A press release from Yarmouth Police in 2016 described Latanowich as "a notorious and violent criminal with 111 prior criminal charges."

"I hope that everybody out there appreciates the work that police officers, across the country, do every day," Chief Frederickson said. "To become a victim of a violent crime like this is intolerable."

Tom Latanowich
Tom Latanowich (Photo credit: Yarmouth Police)

WBZ security analyst Ed Davis told WBZ officers are at risk no matter where they are.

"If this can happen on Blueberry Lane in Marstons Mills, it can happen anywhere," Davis said.

Officers from several towns lined the streets outside Cape Cod Hospital as Gannon's body was transported to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Those who knew Officer Gannon says it's an unimaginable loss for the tight-knit Cape community. "Sean Gannon was a man of honor, hard worker and his reputation was absolutely impeccable," State Rep. Tim Whelan, a retired State Trooper said. "The world is a lesser place without him in it."

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called it a tragic loss.

"I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of Officer Gannon and my thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones and the Yarmouth Police Department after this tragic loss," Gov. Baker said. "The Commonwealth is blessed to have courageous men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our communities every day."

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