Friendly fire kills police detective in New York City; suspect taken into custody
Kristin LamA New York police detective responding to a reported armed robbery was killed by friendly fire at a cellphone store Tuesday night, the New York City police commissioner said.
A sergeant was also wounded in the shooting at a T-Mobile store in Queens. Police shot and took the subject into custody.
Authorities arrived at the scene around 6:10 p.m. after a 911 caller reported seeing the suspect force two employees to a back room at gunpoint, according to dispatch audio. A barrage of shots rang out minutes later. The sergeant told dispatchers he had been hit and another officer called for an ambulance for the detective.
Commissioner James O'Neill identified the detective as Brian Simonsen, 42, a 19-year-veteran of the department. The sergeant with non-life threatening wounds is Matthew Gorman, the union said.
“Every day our men and women in uniform risk their lives to protect us, and tonight we are truly heartbroken to lose one of our own,” New York Attorney General Letitia James tweeted.
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Arwindern Singh, who lives across the street from the store, said he thought someone set off firecrackers until he went outside and saw police everywhere.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted condolences.
“We are forever indebted to the brave NYPD detective who was killed in Queens tonight and the sergeant who was wounded,” Schumer wrote. “May God bless them and their families.”
The last New York City police officer killed on-duty was a 12-year veteran. An ex-convict shot Miosotis Familia, 48, through a police vehicle window in 2017 while she wrote in a notebook.
Contributing: The Associated Press