Fugitive in FBI custody shot

An FBI agent accidentally shot a Massachusetts fugitive with possible ties to a mob hit after handcuffing him to end a stakeout.

The agent, whose name was not released, was returning his gun to his holster Thursday night when it discharged and wounded Frankie Roche, 31, FBI officials said.

He was wanted on a fugitive warrant for a vandalism charge for allegedly damaging a Springfield, Mass., bar with a baseball bat after a fistfight Nov. 10.

Police previously said the bar incident may be tied to the investigation of the slaying of mobster Adolfo M. Bruno, of Agawam, Mass. He was shot six times in the face and chest with a .45-caliber handgun while walking to his car with a friend outside a Springfield social club Nov. 24.

Bruno, who was slain the night before his 59th birthday, was thought to be a member of the New York Genovese crime family that ran gambling rackets in Springfield.

FBI agent Sara Oates, who reported Roche's shooting Friday, said she "could not confirm or deny" whether he was a suspect in Bruno's slaying. He was taken to a hospital, but no information on his condition was released.

About 20 FBI agents and Hillsborough County sheriff's SWAT deputies were present with assault rifles outside the townhouse where Roche was found.

An FBI team is conducting an administrative review of the shooting.