Funeral arrangements set for fallen Auburn police officer

AUBURN, MASS. (WHDH) - Flags flew at half staff on Monday in memory of fallen Auburn Police officer Ronald Tarentino, who was killed during a traffic stop over the weekend.

First responders and police officers from the state paid their respoects on Monday.

The shooting led to an all-out manhunt for a killer.

The suspect was eventually shot by police in Oxford.

Quietly working behind the scenes, investigators are still looking into the deadly shooting.

According to sources, police are preparing to execute a search warrant on Jorge Zambranos’ car, which now remains locked up inside police headquarters.

Sources also said the gun recovered in Oxford where police shot and killed Zambrano after he opened fire on the SWAT team, injuring a State Police trooper after unleashing his pitbull on police, is the same weapon used in the officer’s murder.

The police department and residents remember a family man, a man who loved his life and loved being with friends.

A memorial fund for the wife and three children of an officer who was fatally shot during a weekend traffic stop has now been set up.

The Auburn Police Department says it has received an outpouring of support since Officer Ronald Tarentino was killed early Sunday.

Tarentino, 42, was taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the Zambrano’s SUV was located behind an apartment in Oxford. Police shot tear gas inside and a robot was sent in to investigate as officers and a SWAT team surrounded the building.

Police said Zambrano was found hiding inside a closet. Zambrano allegedly unleashed his pit bull on police before opening fire.

Dive teams were also seen searching a reservoir for the murder weapon but police declined to say if anything was found.

Tarentino was a member of the Auburn Police Department for two years. Before that, he was a police officer in Leicester. He is survived by a wife and three sons. Neighbors said he was well-known in town and he and his wife were always seen at their sons’ sports games. Friends said one of his sons is set to graduate high school next week and another is in the Army.

Tarentino’s body was escorted by police from the medical examiner’s office in Boston to a funeral home in Leicester. Residents lined the streets and police officers from other departments paid their respects, saluting the hearse as it passed on the highway into Leicester.

A state police trooper was wounded in the shoulder when police confronted Zambrano in Oxford. State police say the trooper is out of surgery and recovering.

On Monday afternoon, the MassDOT announced the Worcester-Shrewsbury Burns Bridge will be lit up in blue to honor Officer Tarentino.

A wake for Officer Tarentino will be held on Thursday, May 26 from 2-7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church in Charlton.

A funeral will be held on Friday, May 27 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s CHurch with burial to follow at Greenville Baptist Church Cemetery in the Rochdale section of Leicester.

The Holland Police Department announced Monday they teamed up with the Auburn Police Department to create T-shirts in Tarentino’s memory, the proceeds of which will go to the fund set up for Tarentino’s family.

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