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Slain ATF Agent and Family to be Honored in Ceremony

Written by FEDagent on . Posted in General News

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will honor slain special agent John Capano in a ceremony at ATF’s national headquarters in Washington on Aug. 23, according to a recent Newsday column.

ATF Senior Special Agent Capano and his family will receive four awards from ATF, including the agency’s Medal of Valor, Eric Immesberger, head of ATF’s Long Island Field Office, said. Capano was killed while wrestling with robbery suspect James McGoey after Capano walked in on McGoey attempting to rob Charlie’s Family Pharmacy in Seaford on New Year’s Eve.

While Capano struggled to retrieve McGoey’s gun, retired Nassau Police Lt. Christopher Geraghty fatally shot him after mistaking him for the robber, authorities said.

An off-duty New York City police officer, Joseph Arbia, happened to come across the incident, and fatally shot McGoey three times, according to prosecutors. Arbia will also be awarded during the ceremony on Aug. 23. He will be given the Jake Kuredjian Memorial Award, which honors an officer who helped keep an agent safe during an operation, authorities said.

In addition to the Medal of Valor, Capano’s family will also accept ATF’s Hostile Action Award, which recognizes an employee who comes under direct gunfire; the Gold Star Medal, which recognizes ATF employees who are wounded or injured as a result of their employment with the agency; and the ATF Memorial Award, which honors the family of an agency employee killed in the line of duty.

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