Vigil held for fallen Yarmouth police officer

YARMOUTH, Mass. (WHDH) – A moving memorial continued to grow Saturday evening as family, friends and officers in uniform gathered to honor the Yarmouth Police officer who was killed in the line of duty. K9 officer Sean Gannon, 32, was shot and killed Thursday while serving a warrant in Marston Mills.

Officer Gannon was an eight-year veteran of the Yarmouth Police Department. “Sean was a remarkable young man. We refer to him as the Tom Brady of the Yarmouth Police Department,” Yarmouth Chief Frank Frederickson said on Friday.

Gannon’s cruiser was covered with flowers, balloons and purple and black bunting.

A vigil began just after 7 p.m. Saturday near the Yarmouth Police Department.

“It’s really disconcerting to know that someone with a record that this person had was allowed to be out to create harm to Officer Gannon, and the ultimate sacrifice had to be made,” Frederickson told 7News in an interview on Saturday.

“In solace, this person was likely going to hurt somebody else in the community, but Officer Gannon gave his life and interfered with that, so no one else will be hurt by him,” he continued.

Services for Gannon have been scheduled at Saint Pius X Church in South Yarmouth.

The wake has been scheduled for Tuesday April 17 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a law enforcement walk-by to be held at 5:30 p.m. The funeral has been scheduled for Wednesday April 18 at 11 a.m.

Thomas Latanowich, 29, was charged in Barnstable District Court Friday for the officer’s death. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.

Latanowich, who has been labeled a “career criminal,” has more than 100 arrests for violent crimes that date back more than a decade.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)