‘Do you know how hard it is to die?’ Man accused of shooting Staten Island EMT in ambulance enters plea | Media Pyro

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – A Staten Island man shot by an EMT inside an ambulance earlier this year has a lot to tell detectives following his arrest, court documents say.

“I did it … the damage was done,” stated Thomas McCauley, 37, of Elm Park, who at one point described his thought process at the time and how he bought the gun.

McCauley pleaded guilty in St. George Supreme Court last month to attempted second-degree murder in connection with the May 18 incident. In exchange, he will serve 11 years in prison, plus five years of post-release supervision and an eight-year protection order for the victim.

According to court papers, McCauley told officers on the night of the shooting, in part: “I wanted to die … and that happened in 2015 … you know it’s hard to die?”

It is not clear what exactly he is referring to.

When he later spoke with detectives, the suspect admitted to being drunk and passed out that evening and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He said he reached into his bag for a gun he bought two years ago “off the streets.”

“I don’t want to go back there,” McCauley said. Court documents did not specify what he meant by “there.”

“My first reaction was, I shot the medic … I stupidly shot the guy, thinking I could get away with it.”

McCauley told police he regretted his actions.

“That was stupid,” he said. “If you commit a crime you will do time … I raised that I have to do time now.”

Friend cites mental health struggles

A man who identified himself as McCauley’s longtime friend and at one point housekeeper spoke with Advance/SILive.com following the arrest about the suspect’s long history of mental health issues.

He noted what he described as multiple past suicide attempts, at least one involving authorities, and short stays in medical facilities.

“He was supposed to get a therapist, but trying to get a therapist was very difficult because it takes two months for someone to even call you back.”

He said he takes and stops taking prescribed medications while self-medicating — with an alcohol-related night out — and finding work but living on a limited income.

“He wants to be clean, he wants to be mentally sound; He wants to take medication and talk to a therapist,” the friend said. “I’m sorry what happened to that guy, it’s terrible. [McCauley] Gotta get through it mentally, but Tommy’s not that kind of guy. I have known Tommy since I was 7 years old and I have never seen Tommy hurt anyone in my life.

In the days after the shooting, McCauley’s friend said they spoke on the phone from Rikers.

“When I talked to Thomas, his first thing was: This is going to make me a better person.”

Chaos in the commercial SI corridor

Before the shooting, EMTs responded to a call of a disorderly person outside the Funky Monkey Lounge, located at 1205 Forest Ave.

They found McCauley in front of the bar and put him in the back of the ambulance. As the vehicle drove down Forest Avenue, the suspect pointed a gun at 25-year-old EMT Richard McMahon in the face and shot him in the shoulder, prosecutors allege.

The female driver of the ambulance stopped in the 600 block of Forest Avenue, at which time McCauley fled through the back door of the vehicle, police said at the time. McMahon later told Advance/SILive.com that he wrestled the gun from McCauley after he was shot.

“I was taking the guy’s information on my tablet and when I looked up I saw a gun pointed at my face. Before I could react, I heard a loud noise and immediately felt pressure on my left shoulder, stood up,[and] cried, ‘I’ve been shot! I’ve been shot!’ To my partner,” he recounted.

“There’s going to be a lot of physical therapy and emotional therapy, because once the wounds heal, there’s always going to be an emotional toll,” he said. “That will be the hardest part.”

Moments after hearing gunshots on Forest Avenue, two bystanders, a retired NYPD detective and an off-duty Sanitation Department lieutenant, jumped into action and subdued the suspect until police arrived.

McMahon was released from the hospital the next day.

Regarding McCauley’s plea, District Attorney Michael E.

“On a typical day serving the people of Staten Island, EMT Rich McMahon nearly lost his life at the hands of an armed man in the back of his ambulance. While Rich was seriously injured, his potentially life-saving actions freed the suspect from the weapon and diffused the situation until authorities arrived.

“Our Trials Bureau, in particular [Assistant District Attorneys] Nick Agostino and Jeanine Ruggiero did an exemplary job in ensuring that this defendant was held fully accountable under the law for his horrific act, and he will now serve more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder.

“We often talk about the daily risks our first responders take to keep Staten Island the safest community in the nation, and this tragedy embodies that truth. We wish EMT McMahon a full and continued recovery and thank him for his service to the people of our island.

McCauley will be sentenced Thursday in Justice Alexander Jeong’s courtroom.

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