BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - A man who killed Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon and wounded his K9 partner, Nero, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder on Friday for opening fire on the pair in the attic of a home where he was hiding.
Jurors in Barnstable District Court returned the guilty verdict Friday against 33-year-old Thomas Latanowich, of Somerville, who killed Gannon, the department’s K-9 officer, in April 2018 while he and other officers were serving an arrest warrant for a possible probation violation at a Barnstable home. Nero survived the shooting.
Latanowich was given the life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Latanowich, described by prosecutors as a career criminal with a lengthy record, was also found guilty of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, using a firearm in commission of a felony, possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition with an FID card, and mistreating a police dog.
He then pleaded guilty to an additional armed career criminal charge.
Gannon’s family released a statement following the verdict that read in part, “While we are disappointed in the verdict, the fact remains that our Sean is dead.”
“We are completely grateful and extend our heartfelt thanks to the many members of our communities that have reached out to our family in myriad ways throughout these past three years. Their support has been the steel in our spine: you will never be forgotten,” the statement continued. “Now, we must continue to honor Sean’s legacy of service. We will do so through the Sean M. Gannon Memorial Fund as we attempt to make our world a better and safer place. Our family will make no further statements. We need time to quietly reflect and heal.”
At the start of the trial, Latanowich’s attorney said his client did not know Gannon was a police officer when he shot him, saying he feared it was someone else with whom he had a dispute.
On Monday, Latanowich took the stand in his own defense, telling jurors that he decided to hide in the attic of his friend’s home because he survived a drive-by shooting and he feared that the people who wanted him dead were coming after him.
Latanowich also testified about work that was being done on a nearby home and the sound of nail guns that could be heard when officers entered the home to find him, telling the jury that he was confused and unable to hear the officers who were calling out to him.
Prosecutors say officers warned Latanowich that they were coming into the attic, making multiple announcements.
“Six witnesses have testified that they had heard the announcements, both inside and outside of the house,” a prosecutor said during the closing arguments.
Defense attorney Joseph Krowski argued that the officers didn’t handle the search for Latanowich properly, telling jurors that his client acted in self-defense and was afraid for his life because the officers were the aggressors.
Krowski added that Latanowich mistook the nail guns for gunfire, prompting him to open fire on Gannon and Nero.
During the course of the trial, prosecutors maintained that they had an overwhelming amount of evidence that proved Latanowich was guilty of committing the murder with deliberate premeditation.
Crystal Bearse, the mother of Latanowich ‘s daughter took the stand earlier in the trial, telling the court that her former partner sent her many incriminating texts after Gannon was fatally shot, including a message that read, “I just killed a cop.”
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