Authorities in New York have brought charges against a state trooper who allegedly staged his own shooting in October and blamed it on a “Black or dark-skinned Hispanic male.”
Per ABC News, a spokesperson for the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said Thomas Mascia, 27, turned himself in to the police on Monday morning. Mascia has been charged with official misconduct, falsely reporting a crime, and tampering with evidence.
During a press conference on Monday, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly described Mascia’s actions as “unconscionable” and said he could be handed a one-to-three-year prison sentence if convicted.
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“He knew the fear that it would create — and he did it anyway,” said Donnelly.
A felony complaint into the incident alleges that Mascia “initiated a radio transmission for shots fired” while he was in the line of duty on October 30. Mascia went ahead to claim that he had been “shot by the driver of a black Dodger Charger described as either a Black or dark-skinned Hispanic male.”
The complaint also claims that hours before reporting the incident, Mascia put shell casings on the ground, and he “staged the scene of the shooting,” ABC News reported. Mascia is said to have subsequently “shot himself in the leg in another location before returning to the staged location.”
Authorities said Mascia claimed he was shot on the Southern State Parkway, and police had to briefly close a portion of that area “in an effort to locate the non-existent shooters, causing alarm and inconvenience to the public.”
Authorities also allege that Mascia falsely reported the shooting “for the benefit of gaining attention or sympathy for himself.”
Meanwhile, Mascia wasn’t the only suspect who surrendered to police on Monday as his parents, Dorothy and Thomas, did the same. The district attorney’s office said the state trooper’s parents have been charged with criminal possession of a firearm. Donnelly explained that though the firearm was different from what Mascia used to shoot himself, his father is a convicted felon – meaning that he is barred from owning a gun, ABC News reported.
Mascia’s father was an officer with the New York Police Department, but he was relieved of his duties in 1993 after he was charged with operating a cocaine ring, The New York Times reported.
Authorities said Mascia did not use his service weapon in the shooting, adding that the firearm he discharged belonged to him. Donnelly also said authorities found “close to $800,000” at Mascia’s family home.
Mascia and his parents were released on their own recognizance the same day they surrendered. Mascia’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 5.
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