Death of Queens detective inspires creation of new body armor
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Detective Brian Simonsen was killed in a “friendly fire” incident while responding to a report of an armed robbery in Richmond Hill. The NYPD says that his death underscored a need for a light-weight bullet-resistant vest. Photo courtesy of the NYPD.
By Jonathan Sperling
The “friendly fire” shooting death of a Queens detective almost one year ago has inspired a pilot program to equip cops with new light-weight bullet-resistant vests, the NYPD announced on Friday.
NYPD officials said that the need for a light-weight version of a bullet-resistant vest was made clear by the death of Detective Brian Simonsen, a 19-year veteran of the NYPD, who was mistakenly shot and killed by a fellow officer while responding to a report of an armed robbery inside a T-Mobile store in Richmond Hill.
The bullet-resistant vests currently in use by the NYPD are heavier and thicker, which makes it difficult for undercover officers and detectives to wear the garment under or over their suits or other attire, the department said. The new vests, funded by a $550,000 donation to the New York City Police Foundation and The Detectives’ Endowment Association, are easier to wear over clothing, while still offering a similar level of lifesaving protection, according to the NYPD.
“These new bullet-resistant vests will help save lives and ensure that our investigators are well protected while out in the field,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement.
The incident leading up to Simonsen’s death began just after 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2019, when 911 operators received two separate calls of a man with a firearm robbing the store, police said. One of the callers reportedly stated that two employees had been forced to the back of the store at gunpoint.
Simonsen, 42, and Sgt. Matthew Gorman, who were investigating a separate incident nearby, responded to the store as patrol units arrived. When the officers entered the store, they saw a man who fit the description of the suspect come out of the back, while pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them. The two officers fired at the suspect, Christopher Ransom, before retreating from the store, at which point Simonsen and Gorman were shot.
Simonsen was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he later died. Gorman was also shot, but survived. Ransom’s gun was later determined to be fake.
“Make no mistake about it — friendly fire aside — it is because of the actions of the suspect that Detective Simonsen is dead,” then-Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement following the shooting.
