Police thought the attic was empty. Then a hidden gunman fired, Mass. authorities say

The police officers’ first search of the home’s unfinished attic turned up two backpacks full of drugs and clothing, but no one was around, according to Massachusetts authorities.

Then Yarmouth Sgt. Sean Gannon, his K-9 partner Nero, and six other officers found evidence that a person might be up there, the Fall River Herald News reported. The officers were at the Barnstable home April 12 to serve an arrest warrant for Thomas Latanowich for a probation violation, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Police later returned, authorities said. During their second inspection, the officers saw a piece of insulation that covered an opening into another part of the attic, prosecutors said.

Gannon removed the insulation, and was immediately shot in the head, authorities said, reported WBZ. Nero was also shot and wounded.

Other officers pulled Gannon down through the hole in the ceiling where they had entered the attic and tended to him until police and emergency crews got to the scene, WCVB reported.

Gannon, 32, died at the hospital, the news station said. Nero underwent surgery and is recovering, The Associated Press reported.

Latanowich, 29, who has 125 prior criminal charges on his record, is charged with murder in Gannon’s death, Masslive reported. He’s also accused of mistreating a police dog.

More than $25,000 in cash was found hidden in a wall in a bedroom of the home, authorities said, and a few thousand more was on Latanowich when he was in custody, the Herald News reported.

Additional searches of the property found a semi-automatic handgun broken into several pieces and hidden in different parts of the home, the District Attorney’s Office said. Two live rounds were found in a toilet; shell casings were recovered from the attic, authorities said, the Herald News reported.

Gannon, an eight-year department veteran who was posthumously promoted to sergeant, was laid to rest April 18, Masslive reported. More than 1,000 law enforcement workers attended his funeral.

This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 10:07 PM with the headline "Police thought the attic was empty. Then a hidden gunman fired, Mass. authorities say."