2 Men Indicted For Murder in Death of Det. Brian Simonsen

CALVERTON, NY — Two men were charged with murder and other crimes in the tragic friendly fire death of NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen in February, the Queens District Attorney's office announced Monday.

A Queens County grand jury indicted Brooklyn resident Christopher Ransom, 27, and Queens resident Jagger Freeman, 25, on charges of murder, assault, robbery and other crimes, the DA said. If convicted, both men face up to 50 years to life in prison.

Det. Brian Simonsen and his sergeant, Matthew Gorman, were both shot after responding to the robbery at a T-mobile store on 120th Street. Simonsen, a 19-year NYPD veteran, later died of the gunshot wound at Jamaica Hospital.

The two officers started shooting when they saw Ransom coming toward them with what appeared to be a handgun, police said. Police later recovered an imitation firearm from the scene, according to Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill.

A devastated East End community, which opened its hearts to thousands recently for the funeral of fallen NYPD Det. Brian Simonsen, who lived in Calverton, continues to give back in his memory.

Julie Lofstad, a Southampton Town councilwoman, kicked off a GoFundMe page in the days before the funeral to help raise funds for ribbons that were used to make the blue and black bows that lined the streets in Hampton Bay in honor of Det. Simonsen, "and to show support for law enforcement who attended the services," she said.

Soon after the account was created, the Southampton Town Police Superior Officers Association offered to pay the cost of supplies, she added.

"By that time, we had raised well over what we needed for the ribbon, so I decided we would keep the account open and send donations to the family. The Southampton Town Police Department told me that Det. Simonsen's wife asked that all donations go the Healing Haven Animal Foundation, in his memory — he loved animals," Lofstad said.

"So to respect the wishes of the family, that's what we did," she added.

More than $3,500 was raised, Lofstad said. "Out of, and in spite of, horrific tragedy, there will be some good to come, in memory of Det. Brian Simonsen, NYPD," she said.

A heartbroken community has remained cloaked in deep mourning as friends, loved ones and officials remember "Smiles," a man who dedicated his life to helping others.

O'Neill spoke at Simonsen's standing room only funeral services: "Brian was the one you were grateful to see arrive on the scene. He was the one you wanted beside you when decisions mattered most. . . Brian and his partner, Sergeant Matt Gorman, heard the familiar call for help and they answered it. They made the decision to move toward the danger, to face it head on," he said. "They did so because people needed them."

Of Simonsen, O'Nell said: "We honor Brian's memory when we pick up where he left off. We won't ever finish his work, but the respect is in the effort. It's in hearing the call for help and answering it. Brian took great pride in the job and approached all aspects of it seriously. He was always ready with a joke, too. He had a knack for making you feel like you were his best friend. . . If anyone had something difficult in their lives going on, they'd find Brian. Brian knew how to talk to people — and more importantly, he knew how to listen."

Speaking of the incident that took his life, O'Neill said: "Let me tell you something — those cops were responding to a call for help. They didn't hesitate and they are not to blame. The only two people responsible for Brian's death — the only two — are the career criminals who decided to go to that store on Tuesday night and commit an armed robbery."

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