Cops probe possible friendly fire in death of ATF agent

Police are waiting for ballistic test results to determine who fired the shots that killed a robber and an off-duty ATF agent during a Seaford pharmacy robbery. At around 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon,

News 12 Staff

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Jan 3, 2012, 7:28 PM

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Updated 4,664 days ago

Police are waiting for ballistic test results to determine who fired the shots that killed a robber and an off-duty ATF agent during a Seaford pharmacy robbery.

At around 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, cops say James McGoey, 43, went into Charlie?s Pharmacy to rob it of prescription pills and cash.

McGoey was carrying a realistic-looking pellet gun at the time of the robbery, according to investigators.

According to police, three people tried to intervene and help out: an off-duty NYPD officer, a retired Nassau County cop and ATF agent John Capano.

Shots were fired but the events leading up to the fatal shootings are still under investigation, police say. McGoey and Capano were both shot dead.

Capano's father, James, told News 12 Long Island that his son just happened to be at the pharmacy to pick up his cancer drugs.

State records show McGoey had served 20 years in prison for various robberies throughout Long Island in the 1990s and 2000s.

Capano's wake will be on Wednesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Charles G. Schmitt Funeral Home on Merrick Road in Seaford.

His funeral will be on Friday at 11 a.m. at St. William the Abbot Church on Jackson Avenue in Seaford.

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