Crime

State trooper shot in shoulder during standoff undergoes surgery

Police said Jorge Zambrano shot a State Trooper in an Oxford apartment on Sunday during an exchange of gunfire.

May 23, 2016

1 minute to read

The Massachusetts State Police trooper underwent surgery late Sunday night and remains hospitalized after he was shot by a man suspected of killing an Auburn Police officer, State Police spokesman David Procopio.

The shooting occurred as police searched for Jorge Zambrano, who officials say shot and killed Auburn Police officer Ronald Tarentino during a traffic stop. A manhunt ensued, and State Police tracked Zambrano to a second-floor bedroom of a duplex in Oxford, Procopio said.

Zambrano then “burst open” from a closet and began firing at officers, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Richard McKeon said.

“He was lying in ambush waiting for them,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said.

A State trooper, who has not been named, was shot in the left shoulder and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Procopio said. He was conscious, alert, and in stable condition before undergoing surgery.

Officials said the trooper was an 18-year veteran of the State Police and a former Navy SEAL, and he was a member of the Special Tactical Operations Team.

Zambrano was shot and killed in the exchange of gunfire.

Detectives and the ballistics unit investigated the scene at the Oxford duplex into early Monday morning, Procopio said. Police also towed the SUV that they believe Zambrano fired from during the fatal traffic stop, Procopio said.