Suspect in Auburn Officer Killing Dead Following Shootout; Trooper Struck

By MIKE CARRAGGI (Patch Staff)

• Updated, Sunday 7:30 p.m.

AUBURN, MA — The suspect accused of shooting and killing an Auburn police officer early Sunday morning is dead, according to reports.

The suspect fatally shot officer Ronald Tarentino, 42, at approximately 12:30 a.m., authorities said.

Tarentino was a Tewksbury native and a graduate of Tewksbury Memorial High School's Class of 1991.

The suspect, identified as Jorge Zambrano, 35, of Worcester, is dead following a standoff in Oxford, just south of Auburn.

A State Trooper was also shot in the exchange of gunfire. Authorities said at a Sunday evening press conference at Auburn Police Headquarters said that the State Trooper, who was not identified, will survive. Both the victim and the trooper were transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center. Zambrano had an "extensive criminal history," said State Police Col. Richard McKeon.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said that State, Auburn, and Oxford Police were led to believe Zambrano was located at the address of 31-33 Watch St. in Oxford.

According to McKeon, the vehicle from which he was believed to have shot Tarentino overnight was parked out back. Troopers cleared 31 Watch St. and found an opening in a cellar wall that allowed passage to the 33 side. The team cleared the basement and first floor, and as they entered the second-floor bedroom, Zambrano burst from the closet and opened fire, said McKeon.

Zambrano struck a State Trooper before being shot and killed. The trooper is an 18-year veteran and former Navy Seal, according to McKeon.

A dive team was searching for the murder weapon in a nearby reservoir, but authorities did not say if it was recovered.

Tarentino was shot by Zambrano during a traffic stop in Auburn at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, according to police. He was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said Tarentino joined the Auburn Police Department three years ago after transferring from Leicester. He is survived by a wife and three children.

Members of the law enforcement community in Massachusetts offered their support to the Auburn Police Department, and police all across the state lined the streets.

Tarentino's body was set to be escorted from the state Medical Examiner's office in Boston to a Leicester funeral home Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

In March, Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardydied after a speeding car crashed into his stationary vehicle during a traffic stop on the Mass. Pike in Charlton.

Patch Staffers Alex Newman and Jason Claffey contributed to this report.

>>>Photo of Officer Tarentino courtesy of WHDH, 7-News; Other photos by Charlene Arsenault, Patch Staff