Southold man dies after accidentally shot in neck

A Southold man who accidentally was shot in the neck last week as his friend was cleaning a rifle has died, town police said Monday.

Lukasz Pasko, 26, died on Saturday after being shot on Jan. 23, Capt. Martin Flatley said.

Flatley said the incident was investigated as an accidental shooting, and because of the death the case will be turned over to the Suffolk County police department's homicide unit.

Ryan Lademann, 26, of Southold, told police he was cleaning his rifle when it discharged about 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 23, striking Pasko in the neck.

Lademann has been charged with second-degree assault, Flatley said. He was arraigned last week and released.

Flatley said that Lademann was planning to pursue a career in the military service.

A Mass for Pasko is tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Ostrabrama Roman Catholic Church in Cutchogue, according to the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold.