NY state trooper turns himself in after Southern State Parkway shooting

New York State trooper, Thomas Mascia, who said he was shot during an October traffic stop on Long Island, turned himself into police Monday morning. 

What happened in the courtroom?

What they're saying:

Prosecutors say Mascia actually shot himself and lied about it. 

Now Mascia and his parents are facing charges. Their lawyer entered a non-guilty plea for all three, and they have been released. 

Mascia and his parents surrendered Monday morning at the state police barracks in Farmingdale and will be arraigned in Hempstead court later, according to Trooper Brittany Burton, a state police spokesperson.

Mascia will be charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and falsifying documents, she said. His parents, Dorothy and Thomas, have each been charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors said in court filings Monday that Mascia shot himself in an apparent bid to gain attention and sympathy.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly after the hearing called the former officer’s actions an "unconscionable" deception.

"He knew the fear that it would create, and he did it anyway," she said.

Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for the family, said the 27-year-old Mascia, who resigned Friday, has been suffering from "untreated mental health issues" for years.

"There are many less severe and less dangerous ways to garner sympathy that don’t include shooting oneself," he said. "And now an entire family is suffering for it as they usually do in such situations."

FOX 5 NY learned in court that Thomas Junior drove to the Southern State Parkway in October where he emptied 22 caliber shells and then drove to Hempstead Lake Park where he allegedly shot himself in the leg.

Authorities say he then drove home to drop off the gun. After doing that, he drove back to the Southern State Parkway and that's when he made the call for back up saying that he had been shot by a man who was driving a dark Dodge Charger. 

The gun that was used was found at the foot of his parents' bed. 

Mascia and his parents are due back in court on Feb 5.

What happened to Mascia last October?

Timeline:

The 27-year-old Mascia, who became a trooper in 2019, was suspended without pay in November after state police launched a criminal probe.

Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg on Oct. 30 by the driver of a black sedan that had been parked on the left-hand shoulder of the Southern State Parkway, about a mile from his home.

The trooper claimed the driver fled in the direction of New York City in a car with temporary New Jersey registration, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt that lasted days.

Police said there was no video footage of the episode since the trooper’s body camera was not activated at the time.

The Source: This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.

Long IslandCrime and Public Safety