Killing of Massachusetts Officer Renews Calls for State Death Penalty

The killing of a Massachusetts police officer has some Republicans calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty for the murder of law enforcement officers in the state, reports the Associated Press .

Recent attempts to restore capital punishment in the state have faltered, most recently after the killing of another police officer two years ago and in 2013, after the Boston Marathon bombing.

The death of Officer Sean Gannon, a Yarmouth K-9 handler who was fatally shot in the head while serving an arrest warrant last Thursday, has again raised the issue. Gannon's funeral was Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Republican Party sent out a message on Twitter reaffirming the party's backing of capital punishment for criminals who kill police officers.

An aide to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said he also "supports the death penalty for the offense of killing a police officer." Baker on Friday signed an overhaul of the state's criminal justice system that imposed a new mandatory minimum for assault and battery on a police officer causing serious injury.

But a bill that would reinstitute capital punishment has just two sponsors -- one Democrat and one Republican.