Proposal Made To Name Highways After Slain Auburn Police Officer

AUBURN (AP) — A legislative effort is underway to name stretches of two Massachusetts highways in honor of a police officer killed in the line of duty.

Three state lawmakers are co-sponsoring the bill to name a section of Route 20 in Auburn and a portion of Route 9 in Leicester after Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr.

Tarentino was shot in the back last May by a man he had pulled over.

Tarentino and his family lived in Leicester and he had served with the town's police department before joining Auburn's force.

More: Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Remembered As 'Knight In Shining Armor'

The bill was discussed at a recent meeting of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation.

One sponsor, Republican state Rep. Paul Frost, says renaming the highways would be a fitting and lasting tribute to Tarentino's sacrifice.

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