Two North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) troopers have become the focal point of a serious legal investigation after the emerging details of a deadly crash that occurred last October in Raleigh. Trooper Garrett Macario and his superior, Sgt. Matthew Morrison, are currently under scrutiny for their actions during and after a chase that ended in the death of 31-year-old Tyrone Mason. As reported by CBS 17, bodycam footage has been critical in unravelling the events of that fateful night.
The search warrant, obtained by WRAL, suggests that the troopers agreed to downplay the chase. Bodycam footage showed Macario first trying to carry out a traffic stop on Mason, a move which set off the chase. This was only to dramatically conclude with Mason's vehicle crashing into a median. Following the incident, records show a conversation in which Sgt. Morrison advised Trooper Macario not to report the pursuit, indicating that the following accident was “RPD's problem."
As Mason's family contests the initial report of a single-car crash, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman expressed concerns that led to charges being dismissed in almost 200 cases involving either Macario or Morrison. The troopers have since been placed on administrative leave. Notably, Mason's family has engaged civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them as they seek answers and justice for the loss of Mason, a father of five. "From day one, when they came to me and told me my son died in a single-car accident. I told them that is not true," Mason's mother told ABC11.
The SBI also searched the personal and work cellphones of both troopers, indicating that a comprehensive investigation is underway to examine the events leading up to and following Tyrone Mason’s fatal encounter with law enforcement. The collected evidence has raised concerns regarding the actions of the involved state troopers and their potential role in the outcome of the incident.
