On April 28, 2023, Officer Mike Mascorro entered a house unlawfully in the attempt to arrest a man on a misdemeanor charge. This unlawful entry ended in an exchange of gunfire & a citizen’s life being taken. Officer Mascorro was advised, prior to going to the man’s house, that he didn’t have grounds for an arrest warrant due to the nature of the crime & to only issue a citation. Bodycam footage reveals that Officer Mascorro blatantly ignored this advice & proceeded to the man’s home. The wife opened the door, but the man refused to come outside and Officer Mascorro repeatedly told the man he was going to jail. The man kept questioning Officer Mascorro on his right to arrest him & refused to step outside his house when Officer Mascorro couldn’t produce a valid reason. Officer Mascorro proceeded to break in the door, while the victim’s wife screamed for him to stop, & was met with gunfire, as the victIm tried to protect his home when Officer Mascorro entered through the broken door. Officer Mascorro retreated to a different part of the home & ended up firing back on the victim, who had his hands up & was unarmed when the last fatal shot was delivered, according to bodycam footage.
Officer Mascorro has been found NOT to be criminally responsible for the murder of this man in his own home, due to the lack of the word “lawful” in certain Wyoming Statutes. However, the 4th Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that we the people are to be safe from UNLAWFUL search & seizure.
Officer Mascorro has been reinstated to active duty & we need to take action as the citizens of Thermopolis, Hot Springs County & Wyoming push for his removal from law enforcement before this sets a precedent across the state. Just think… it could be your door next.