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THE NEWSPAPER OF JAMAICA, HOLLIS & ST. ALBANS
Man sentenced in 2019 shooting death
of NYPD detective in Richmond Hill
BY BILL PARRY
The Brooklyn man who started the
chain of events at a Richmond Hill
cellphone store in 2019 that led to the
friendly-fire killing of NYPD Detective
Brian Simonsen was sentenced to 33
years in prison Wednesday morning,
Nov. 17, according to Queens District
Attorney Melinda Katz.
Christopher Ransom, 30, formerly
of St. John’s Place, pleaded guilty to
charges of aggravated manslaughter in
October before Queens Supreme Court
Justice Kenneth Holder, who handed
down the sentence.
Ransom also pleaded guilty to another
cellphone store robbery that occurred
on Feb. 8, 2019.
According to court records, on the
night of Feb. 12, 2019, Ransom and an
accomplice, Jagger Freeman, used a
fake gun to hold up the T-Mobile store
on 120th Street shortly after 6 p.m. Ransom
entered the business brandishing
what appeared to be a black pistol and
ordered two employees inside to surrender
both cash and merchandise
from the back of the store.
Ransom was still inside the location
when police officers from the 102nd
Precinct responded to the scene. Ransom
proceeded to point the weapon,
which appeared real, at the police officers,
who opened fire in response.
An NYPD investigation found that
seven of the officers fired 42 shots from
both sides of the store. Simonsen, a 19-
year veteran of the NYPD, who spent
his entire career at the 102nd Precinct,
was struck in the chest and died while
Christopher Ransom is sentenced to 33 years for starting the events that led to
friendly-fire shooting death of NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen in 2019.
he was transported in an unmarked car
to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
A second officer, Sergeant Matthew
Gorman was seriously injured with a
bullet wound to his left leg and Ransom
was struck eight times in the crossfire.
Simonsen had been representing his
precinct’s rank-and-file during a union
meeting on the day he was killed. Mayor
Bill de Blasio later said the detective
could have “called it a day” and gone
home, but he rushed to the T-Mobile
store when the call came in.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Simonsen was 42 years old.
“My hope is that the family of Detective
Brian Simonsen may finally have
some closure with the sentencing of
this defendant,” Katz said. “His lawless,
selfish behavior set the terrible
events of that day in motion. He committed
one of several robberies and terrified
the employees of that cellphone
store before drawing the fire of police.
The heartbreaking result was the loss
of Detective Simonsen and the injury of
Sergeant Matthew Gorman.”
The Legal Aid Society served as
counsel for Ransom.
“With this plea agreement, Christopher
Ransom takes full responsibility
for his actions. The resolution of the
case, however, should not detract from
the immense physical and emotional
pain that he continues to endure as a
result of the injuries sustained in the
NYPD’s friendly fire shootout,” The
Legal Aid Society said in a statement.
“The police fired 42 shots in 11 seconds
that night, shooting Mr. Ransom eight
times. He will carry physical scars
and emotional trauma from this event
for the rest of his life. Despite this, Mr.
Ransom is committed towards seeking
rehabilitation and redemption. We
hope that the NYPD also takes this opportunity
to reexamine their own procedures
and training so that a tragedy
like this never happens again.”
Detective Simonsen was survived
by his wife, Leanne, who was in the
courtroom and delivered an impact
statement directed toward Ransom before
the sentencing.
“Brian was my perfect man and
your reckless actions took him away,”
she said. “It is a Christian thing to forgive
you. At this time I can’t forgive
you.”
Detective Paul Giacomo, Simonsen’s
longtime partner, said, “Brian
was a world-class detective. We miss
him dearly at the 102nd Precinct. I
want to thank the prosecution for doing
an outstanding job and getting the
family justice.”
Additional reporting by Lloyd
Mitchell.
Vol. 9 No. 48 36 total pages