2 Men Charged With Murder For Cop's Friendly Fire Death

RICHMOND HILL, QUEENS — Two men are facing murder charges for the death of a cop they did not shoot.

Christopher Ransom, 27, and Jagger Freeman, 25, were charged with murder Monday, weeks after NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen died trying to stop the pair from robbing a Richmond Hill T-Mobile store on 120th Street, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors will argue that Ransom, of Brooklyn, and Freeman, of Queens, should be held responsible for the detective's death, even though a fellow NYPD officer fired the bullet that killed him. If convicted, both men face up to 50 years to life in prison.

Ransom's attorney from the Legal Aid Society said the DA's office is pushing a disingenuous narrative regarding the Feb. 12 robbery.

"Make no mistake, we agree that the loss of Detective Brian Simonsen and the wounding of Sergeant Matthew Gorman are indeed tragic. But there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the events of that night," a Legal Aid Society spokesperson said. "We ask the public to thoughtfully consider the many contours of this case, and not to react to sensationalism peddled by prosecutors or the police."

A grand jury on Monday handed down a 23-count indictment, which included charges of assault, robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon. Ransom also faces a charge of aggravated manslaughter.

The night of Feb. 12, Ransom whipped out what appeared to be a black pistol and demanded the T-Mobile employees hand over cash and iPhones from the store's safes, according to the charges. Freeman served as a lookout.

The NYPD officers burst into the store, then started shooting when they saw Ransom coming towards them with the weapon, officials said. Simonsen, 42, and his sergeant, Matthew Gorman, were both shot.

Simonsen, a 19-year NYPD veteran, died of a gunshot wound. Gorman, 31, was seriously wounded after being shot in the leg. Police later determined Ransom's weapon was fake.

"This was a tragic incident that should have never happened," Chief Assistant District Attorney John M. Ryan said in a statement.

The two men face charges for robbing another T-Mobile store on Feb. 8. Ransom was charged with robbing cell phone stores on Jan. 19 and Oct. 23 and Oct. 28, 2018.