New York State Police have launched an internal investigation into the reported shooting of a state trooper on Long Island last week.
Trooper Thomas Mascia, 27, said he pulled over to assist the driver of a Dodge Charger, but the motorist shot him in the leg and sped off.
But on Monday, state police said they were no longer seeking the vehicle.
“State Police is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting involving Trooper Mascia that was reported on Oct. 30,” New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy told the Daily News. “This remains an ongoing investigation and further specifics are not being released at this time.”
State troopers searched Mascia’s West Hempstead home on Sunday and seized his service weapon and any other firearms, WABC reported.
Mascia’s body camera was not on at the time he was shot, sources told the Albany Times-Union. State police body cameras activate automatically when all sirens are flashing, but reportedly only Mascia’s rear emergency lights were flashing at the time of the shooting.
State police initially said Mascia was shot in the leg on the Southern State Parkway near Exit 17 in West Hempstead on Oct. 30. Mascia had slowed down to help a stranded motorist on the parkway, only to be greeted with gunfire, cops said.
“Trooper Mascia’s good intentions were met with unexpected gunshots directed at him from a coward who, without any provocation or good shot or good cause, began to shoot at him,” Major Stephen Udice told reporters.
Mascia was hospitalized after the shooting with a gunshot wound to his upper right leg. He was released on Nov. 1 and greeted by many law enforcement officers who turned out to support him.
According to police, the suspect vehicle was a dark-colored Dodge Charger with a temporary New Jersey license plate with the number 997636T. Prior to Monday, such a vehicle had not been located despite an extensive search.
Multiple organizations had offered rewards for tips that led to a conviction in Mascia’s shooting, with the reward money totaling $15,000.
