NYS Police investigating circumstances of Trooper Thomas Mascia's shooting on Southern State

The New York State Police said Monday it has launched an investigation into the shooting of State Trooper Thomas Mascia last week and investigators are no longer searching for the alleged shooter's vehicle.

"State Police is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting involving Trooper Mascia that was reported on Oct. 30," said Beau Duffy, the executive director of public information for the state police, in a statement Monday in response to Newsday. "This remains an ongoing investigation and further specifics are not being released at this time."

Duffy said police "are no longer seeking the Dodge Charger that was reported as being involved in the incident."

Duffy's statement comes after a report in the Albany Times-Union newspaper that state police had searched Mascia's West Hempstead home Sunday night as part of an internal investigation into the shooting.

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said her office is also involved in the probe. In a written statement, she said, "My office, in partnership with the New York State Police, is actively investigating certain inconsistencies identified in the reporting of a shooting incident involving New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia last week on the Southern State Parkway. The investigation remains ongoing at this time, and we refrain from further comment until it is completed."

On Monday morning, the road where Mascia's home in West Hempstead is located was closed to traffic. More than a dozen state police were on the scene. Duffy said law enforcement was executing a search warrant at Mascia's house.

The New York State Police Benevolent Association said in a statement Monday: "We are monitoring this situation as it develops. As we are not involved in the ongoing investigation, we would refer you to the State Police for additional comment."

Mascia, 27, was shot in his right leg, near his knee, at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday after he said he approached a black car, believed to be a Dodge, that he thought was stranded on the median of the Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead, police have said.

No arrests have been made.

Mascia, a state trooper since 2019, was stable after having surgery Thursday, police have said.

He was released from Nassau University Medical Center Friday afternoon as hundreds of state troopers and Nassau County police officers looked on.

"I'm feeling good," Mascia said Friday, as he was wheeled out in a wheelchair with his right leg bandaged.

Mascia's body camera was not activated during the shooting, police have said.

State Police Superintendent Steven James, in a news briefing after Mascia was shot, described the alleged suspect as a male, driving what was believed to be a black, late model Dodge Charger with temporary New Jersey tags, rear tinted Windows and custom matte gray dual-exhaust tips.

Mascia told police that he pulled up behind the and as he approached, "he heard several pops and realized he was wounded in his right leg," James said.

The superintendent said multiple shots were fired were fired through the vehicle's lowered driver's side window. Mascia retreated behind his patrol vehicle as the vehicle fled west, he said.

James said that Mascia didn't return fire because the suspect immediately fled the scene. The trooper was able to apply a tourniquet to his injured leg and called for assistance, the superintendent said.

"Shots fired, shots fired, I’m hit," the trooper said, giving his location on the parkway, according to police radio transmissions on Broadcastify.com.

"I’m bleeding pretty good in the leg," the trooper said, while also giving a description of the alleged shooter's vehicle and its temporary tag. "Got a tourniquet on."

The reports from state police that an armed suspect had fired several shots — without provocation — at a uniformed state trooper, created fear.

"Someone who is willing to fire a gun at a law enforcement officer is most certainly a dangerous individual," James said. "So in order to ensure the safety of the public, we would like to get that person in custody as soon as possible."

The New York City-based group Cop Shot announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

And Suffolk County Crime Stoppers had also offered $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Neighbors said state police have had a presence at Mascia’s home on Gruber Court each day since the shooting, but on Sunday afternoon investigators began knocking on doors in the surrounding neighborhood asking questions.

Kenneth White, who lives six doors down from where police vehicles blocked the entrance into the cul-de-sac where the trooper lives, said state police detectives visited him Sunday afternoon to look at footage on his doorbell camera.

"They just said they’re looking for the car," White said from outside his home on Bedell Terrace. "That’s all they said."

White said that when he later noticed all the state police vehicles in the area, he assumed it was for Mascia’s return home from the hospital.

Neighbor James Ilori said Mascia is a "good man," who often lends a helping hand to others in the community.

"I trust him," Ilori said as he walked into a home across the street from the officer. "I believe him ... they’ll find the truth."