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In this undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department, Det. Brian Simonsen is shown. New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill told the media at a news conference that Simonsen was shot dead by a friendly fire on Tuesday night, February 12, 2019, while he was responding to a robbery report at a T-Mobile store in the Richmond Hill section of Queens. (New York City Police Department via AP)
NEW YORK – Police on Friday arrested a man suspected of being on the lookout for a robbery that led to the shooting death of a New York City police detective, a senior official said. 39, investigation at the Associated Press.
The man was taken into custody in Queens a few hours after New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill revealed on the radio that police were looking for a second suspect on Tuesday night, announced the manager.
The officer was not allowed to speak publicly about the issue and requested anonymity. The name of the suspect was not available immediately Friday night.
Detective Brian Simonsen was hit once in the chest by crossfire while six other officers and himself fired 42 shots at the robbery suspect Christopher Ransom.
Simonsen, 42, will be put to rest next week.
Ransom, who was wounded eight times, was arrested Friday by video from his hospital bed for murder, manslaughter and other charges.
A judge ordered him to be detained without bail. His next appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. Ransom risks up to 25 years in prison for life if he is convicted.
The Legal Aid Society, which represents Ransom, warned people not to "demonize" him.
"The loss of life and the serious injuries that all suffer are tragic," said the organization defending the needy in a statement. "But we are asking the public to respect Mr. Ransom's right to due process and a presumption of innocence."
Ransom, 27, has a long rap sheet and a strange stunt habit.
Ransom's files have been arrested at least eleven times since 2012, and he was wanted by the police for a robbery on January 19 at another cell phone store. The court documents show that after an arrest, Ransom was taken to a psychiatric ward.
Ransom pled guilty to criminal trespass and was sentenced to 20 days in jail in 2016 after allegedly crossing a door and joining an office at a Brooklyn Police Station while wearing a fake SWAT vest and a police badge. Police records indicated that his alias was "Detective".
Four years earlier, he had pleaded guilty and had been sentenced to prison for claiming to be a trainee and having access to a judge's room.
Funeral for 19-year-old NYPD veteran Simonsen is scheduled for Wednesday at Hampton Bays on Long Island. The performances will take place on Monday and Tuesday.
The supervisor and partner of Simonsen, Sgt. Matthew Gorman, was injured in the leg. He left the hospital on Thursday.
Simonsen, Gorman and six uniformed officers invaded the T-Mobile store around 6:10 pm Tuesday, after a 911 phone caller standing outside reported seeing a man take two employees to a back shop under threat of gunfire, police said.
According to a criminal complaint, Ransom ordered employees to remove their iPhones and their funds from cash registers and safes in the back-shop.
Simonsen and Gorman, who were both plainclothes and did not wear bullet proof vest, were working on another case nearby when the call arrived and arrived at about the same time as the patrol boats, announced the police.
Gorman and two of the uniformed officers entered the store, but withdrew when Ransom emerged from a back room and approached them, police said. The shots blew the doors of the store, filling the sidewalk with glass.
Simonsen remained outside while Gorman and the uniformed officers entered, police said. Simonsen fired twice. Gorman fired 11 times. It is unknown who fired the shots that hit them, the police said.
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Follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak
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