Town Dedicates Plaque in Honor of Slain ATF Agent from Massapequa

A flag at the traffic triangle at the intersection of Biltmore and Frankel Boulevards in Massapequa will will forever honor the memory of slain ATF agent John Capano.

Family, friends and several dignitaries were on hand for the July 4th dedication of a memorial for the longtime agent who was while trying to stop a pharmacy robbery in Seaford.

Capano's widow Dori was on hand along with  her children and several other family members.

She ," according to Kurt Ludwig, a spokesman for the Town of Oyster Bay.

Town Supervisor John Venditto who worked with the family to create the memorial near his home called Capano "a true American hero," the supervisor also praised the 23-year veteran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives four putting himself in harms way in the service of others.

with the Long Island field office of ATF remembered his friend as an integral part of a close knit unit.

"He was very emotional," said family friend Scott Parlatore, a retired FDNY member. "That just got to me. it was very tough to watch Dori and the kids stay strong."

Also on in attendance was as well as members of the Massapequa and Seaford fire departments.

Capano was an explosives expert who shared his expertise in hot spots around the world including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The flag at the memorial, which will be illuminated at night, once flew over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The words on the plaque, which Parlatore said were written in part by Dori, read in part: "He died as he lived, protecting others. May John's memory inspire us to live and love the well."