Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Robbery Suspect, Off-Duty ATF Agent Killed In LI Pharmacy Holdup
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2012
Modified Jan 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2012
Modified Jan 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday afternoon, a robbery suspect and off-duty ATF agent were fatally shot in a confrontation that also included an off-duty NYPD police officer and an off-duty Nassau County police lieutenant. The off-duty law enforcement officials were trying to stop the suspect on a Seaford, Long Island street, and it's not clear yet who fired the fatal shots.
John Capano, an ATF explosives specialist who was in his 40s, came across the suspect on Merrick Road outside of Charlie's Family Pharmacy, where the man had demanded Oxycontin and cash. The NY Times reports:
A law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was unresolved, said the preliminary accounts indicated that after the man left the pharmacy, he went to a parking lot, and people pointed him out as the possible robber. Special Agent Capano then confronted the man.
Somehow in the struggle between Special Agent Capano and the robbery suspect shots were fired, “and that is when the agent is shot,” the official said.
Next door to the pharmacy is a deli that, according to the official, was believed to be owned by a retired Nassau County police officer or detective. Some people from the pharmacy ran into the deli and told the people there what had happened. Also in the deli was an off-duty member of the New York Police Department, the official said.
According to Newsday's sources
, "The NYPD officer struggled with the armed man who had just robbed Charlie's Family Pharmacy on Merrick Road, and shot him near the store's front door...Within seconds, off-duty Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent John Capano, 51, of Massapequa -- who had been in the pharmacy -- was also shot." The Daily News' sources claim the suspect aimed his gun at the off-duty NYPD cop and Nassau County lieutenant.
The ATF said, "It is a sad and tragic way to end the year. Over time, he became a certified explosives expert for A.T.F. who oversaw and assisted in conducting explosives training for law enforcement here in the United States, but also volunteered to travel overseas to Afghanistan and Iraq as part of A.T.F.’s explosives training for our troops in the military and police in those countries." Capano's survivors include a wife and two children, a college-age son and a daughter in high school.
In the summer, a prescription pill-addicted man killed four people at a Suffolk County pharmacy during a robbery.
Tagged
atf
john capano
long island
nassau county
nypd
off-duty
oxycontin
pharmacy
pharmacy robbery
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
The mayor said his administration would review ICE and NYPD actions surrounding Thursday’s shooting.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 11, 2026 at 1:49 p.m. ET
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
By
Mike Hayes
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .