NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) – An NYPD detective was shot and killed Tuesday evening in a suspected case of “friendly fire” while responding to reports of a robbery at a cellphone store in Queens.
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The timeline of events is still being pieced together, but preliminary details provided by the NYPD and audio from police radio give an indication of how events rapidly unfolded, with responding officers quickly trying to assess what was happening as chaos unfolded.
JUST BEFORE 6:10 PM: ROBBERY REPORTED
Police descended on the T-Mobile store 91-62 120th St. in Richmond Hill after a caller reports an armed robbery.
“The callers described the suspect as a male armed with the firearm. At least one of the callers said two of the employees at the store had been forced at gunpoint to the rear of the store,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said at a press conference.
6:10 PM: OFFICERS RESPOND
Det. Brian Simonsen and Sgt. Matthew Gorman were working an unrelated case nearby when the call came over the radio and they responded, according to O’Neill.
Audio of police radio indicates that officers were told to come without their sirens.
Sources tell 1010 WINS that Simonsen and Gorman were the first officers to arrive at the scene.
“Through the windows of the store, the officers did not see anyone inside, the officers then entered the store,” O’Neill said, of Simonsen and Gorman.
6:10-6:15 PM: OFFICERS ENTER STORE
Once inside, Simonsen and Gorman saw a man fitting the description of the suspect emerging from the back and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them, according to O’Neill.
“With the suspect advancing towards them, the officers discharged their weapons and retreated out of the store. That is when Det. Simonsen was shot,” O’Neill said.
ABOUT 6:15 PM: OFFICERS SHOT
Simonsen was shot in the chest as he and Gorman were exiting store and patrol officers from the 102nd Precinct -- who had since arrived at the scene -- were firing from outside.
An officer can be heard yelling “Shots fired! Shots fired!” at a dispatcher over the radio as gunfire rings out. The suspect, meanwhile, was still in the store, police radio indicates.
Sources tell 1010 WINS that officers fired 40 shots. The T-Mobile store’s doors were blown out by gunfire and glass littered the sidewalk.
It was about a minute later that Gorman told dispatchers he’d been hit: “Be advised: I’m shot, the perp’s still at the location.”
6:16 PM: REQUEST FOR AMBULANCE
An officer can he heard screaming for dispatchers to get an ambulance to the scene.
6:19 PM: REPORT OF BARRICADED SUSPECT
Police say the suspect was still inside the T-Mobile store after the calls for an ambulance went out.
6:20 PM: REPORT OF PERP SHOT
6:21 PM: REPORT OF PERP IN CUSTODY
6:27 PM: OFFICERS AT JAMAICA HOSPITAL
Both Simonsen and Gorman were transported to Jamaica Medical Center, where Simonsen was eventually pronounced dead and Gorman was in stable condition.
6:32 PM: PERP TRANSPORTED
The suspect, 27-year-old Christopher Ransom, who was shot multiple times, was in stable condition at New York Hospital Queens, police say.
6:43 PM: STREET CLOSED
Police radio indicates traffic was stopped near Atlantic Avenue and 121st Street as police investigated.