Man Accused of Shooting Yarmouth Police Officer Charged with Murder
Thomas Latanowich is being held without bail following the death of Officer Sean Gannon in the Marstons Mills village of Barnstable.
Officer Sean Gannon. Photo via Yarmouth Police Department/ Facebook
Updated at 12:10 p.m. Thomas Latanowich, who is accused of shooting Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon, was charged with murder on Friday morning in Barnstable District Court. He is being held without bail, MassLive reports.
Previously: A Somerville man is expected to face murder charges following the fatal shooting of Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon, the Boston Globe reports.
Gannon, a 32-year-old K-9 officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday while serving a house warrant in the Marstons Mills village of Barnstable, according to the Globe. Gannon’s K-9 partner, Nero, was also seriously injured and will undergo surgery on Friday.
The man accused of shooting Gannon and Nero, 29-year-old Thomas Latanowich, will appear in court on Friday. Latanowich has more than 100 prior charges on his record, including one, according to the Cape Cod Times, for allegedly strangling a pregnant woman and vandalizing her property in October 2016. Latanowich was identified by Yarmouth Police in 2016 as “a notorious and violent criminal,” according to CBS Boston.
Gannon joined the Yarmouth force in 2010 and previously worked with the Stonehill College and Nantucket police departments, according to WCVB. Support for Gannon’s family and the Yarmouth Police Department flooded in online, especially from police and fire departments throughout New England. Gov. Charlie Baker ordered flags be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings in Gannon’s honor. The governor said in a statement he was “heartbroken” to hear of Gannon’s passing and that the Commonwealth “is blessed to have courageous men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our communities every day.”
Attorney General Maura Healey also offered her condolences.
A tragedy. Our hearts are with Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon killed today in the line of duty, and with his family and fellow officers. pic.twitter.com/0nB4lYzxau
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 13, 2018
Gannon, who was the Yarmouth Police Department’s first full-time drug detection K-9 patrol officer, leaves behind a wife, Dara.
“Sean was a wonderful, wonderful young man,” Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson said, according to WCVB. “The sky was the limit for him. We’re going to miss him terribly. The department is going to miss him terribly.”
