FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts state police trooper injured in a May shootout with a man who killed a local police officer has spoken out about his ongoing recovery.
Trooper A.J. Kardoos was shot in the shoulder May 22 during a gun battle with Jorge Zambrano inside an Oxford apartment. The 35-year-old Zambrano had shot and killed Auburn police Officer Ronald Tarentino during a traffic stop earlier that day. Zambrano was killed in the shootout.
“I knew I was fine,” Kardoos said. “I knew I was something was broken, but I knew I was fine. I wasn’t bleeding a whole lot. I have a little medical training that I’ve taken through the course of my career, I knew nothing vital was struck, I could feel all my fingers and toes, so I knew it wasn’t all that bad.”
Kardoos suffered a broken left arm in the shootout.
The 43-year-old Kardoos told reporters Monday that speaking with Tarentino’s family while he was recovering had helped him. He also attended Tarentino’s funeral. He says he hopes people remember the Tarentino family and that they heal as quickly as he did.
Kardoos is a 12-year state police veteran and former U.S. Navy Seal. He had not been officially identified until Monday.
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