NEW YORK Prosecutors say a former New York state trooper shot himself in the leg and then made up a story about being shot by an unidentified shooter on a Long Island roadway last year, leading to his arrest and charges.
Prosecutors claimed Monday that Thomas Mascia shot himself at Hempstead Lake State Park, put the pistol away, drove to the interstate, and dialed 911.
Mascia was accused of fabricating records, tampering with evidence, and official misconduct.
Prosecutors also charged his parents, Dorothy and Thomas, with criminal possession of a firearm after the.22-caliber firearm was found in their bedroom in West Hempstead.
After entering a not guilty plea, the three were free until February 5, when they next appear in court.
Other than confirming that the family turned themselves in to state police to face the allegations, Jeffrey Lichtman, the family’s attorney, declined to comment.
In court documents filed Monday, prosecutors claimed that Mascia, 27, had shot himself in what appeared to be an attempt to attract sympathy and attention. Additionally, they verified that he was no longer employed by the state police.
Later on Monday, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly is scheduled to meet with state police for a press conference at her Mineola office.
Mascia, a 2019 trooper, was placed on unpaid leave in November following a criminal investigation by state police.
About a mile from his home, on October 30, Mascia said, the driver of a black automobile parked on the left-hand shoulder of the Southern State Parkway shot him in the leg.
Authorities began a days-long manhunt after the trooper said the driver escaped toward New York City in a vehicle registered temporarily in New Jersey.
According to the police, the trooper’s body camera was not turned on at the time, therefore there was no video recording of the incident.
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