‘Disgraceful’: White Cop Who Shot Himself, Then Claimed a ‘Black or Dark-Skinned Hispanic’ Gunman Did It, Gets Slap on the Wrist for Fabricating Story
A New York state trooper who shot himself in the leg and then led law enforcement to believe a "dark-skinned" gunman caused the injury, triggering an extensive search, was sentenced to less than a year in jail for the crime. Thomas Mascia will spend six months in jail and then another five years on probation for lying about a shooting at a traffic stop in Long Island, New York, in October 2024. New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia claimed he had been shot by either a "Black man or dark-skinned Hispanic Man" and was arrested for fabricating the story. The photo on the left shows him leaving the hospital in November to applause from fellow cops. The photo on the right shows him being arrested. (Photos: Facebook) Mascia wounded himself with a .22 caliber rifle, and then staged a shooting scene on a highway to make it look like he was injured at a traffic stop by an armed motorist who opened fire without warning and took off from the scene. Prosecutors say he scattered shell casings, shot himself at a park, stashed the gun, then drove back to the highway, and called for backup. His false report sparked a regionwide, multi-day manhunt for a suspect he described as a "Black man or dark-skinned Hispanic" individual driving a black Dodge Charger with custom matte-gray dual exhaust tips. ‘Delete the Video’: Florida Man Who Attacked Teens Riding E-Bikes, Deliberately Drove Car Into One Bike, Claims ‘Fear Clouded His Judgment’ He also claimed the vehicle had a temporary New Jersey license plate number “997536T.” Law enforcement posted a $15,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of this fictitious gunman. During their investigation, police found the shell casings Mascia left at the alleged shooting scene, but no evidence of any other shots being fired, except the one that injured Mascia. Authorities began to believe the Mascia might have accidentally shot himself, then fabricated a story to cover his mistake. As his story began to fall apart, the police rescinded the reward. In January, Mascia resigned from his position after law enforcement launched a criminal investigation into his story. That same month, authorities found enough evidence to charge him with felony tampering with physical evidence as well as misdemeanor charges of filing a false report and official misconduct. He faced up to three years in prison had he been convicted in a trial, but he pleaded guilty in May to all charges. As part of his sentence, Masica will also have to undergo mental health treatment and pay nearly $290,000 in restitution in Nassau County court in Mineola. In a statement, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly called Mascia's actions "disgraceful." “His lies wasted hundreds of hours of law enforcement manpower, deeply cost taxpayers in Nassau County, and betrayed the public’s trust of those in uniform,” Donnelly said after Mascia's sentencing, per the Associated Press. Jeffrey Lichtman, who represents Mascia, said the trooper is “mortified by his actions and happy to finally get on with his life.” Masica's case joins a growing list of white cops or citizens who make up sham stories or falsely pin robberies and shootings on Black people.
