LEICESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Hundreds of people gathered in Leicester on Sunday for a special race in honor of fallen Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino Jr., who was killed in the line of duty nearly three years ago.
Officers from dozens of departments came together to support the charity, which is named in honor of Tarentino, a husband and father of three who was killed while conducting a traffic stop in May 2016.
One runner said, “When it happens it affects anybody in the realm of law enforcement. Whether it is someone in your neighborhood, someone in your department, someone in your state. It could be someone in California and it is going to affect people in Massachusetts the same exact way that it would affect someone in your own department.”
Tarentino’s niece, Jessica Ticino, said everyone who has contributed to the race to honor her uncle’s memory has become like family.
“It just carries that legacy on,” she said. “Just being able to help other people going through tough times, like the way these people have helped us go through tough times is a beautiful thing.”
The fund created in Tarentino’s name is aimed at providing scholarships and helping people who have faced major adversity.
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