Press Release
BROOKLYN MAN SENTENCED TO 33 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO AGGRAVATED MANSLAUGHTER IN 2019 DEATH OF DETECTIVE BRIAN SIMONSEN
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Christopher Ransom, 30, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter and robbery for his role in the February 2019 hold up of a mobile phone store, which resulted in the death of New York City Police Department Detective Brian Simonsen. Defendant also pleaded guilty to another cell phone store robbery which occurred on February 8, 2019.
District Attorney Katz said, “My hope is that the family of Detective Brian Simonsen may finally have some closure with the sentencing of this defendant. His lawless, selfish behavior set the terrible events of that day in motion. He committed one of several robberies and terrified the employees of that cell phone store before drawing the fire of police. The heartbreaking result was the loss Detective Simonsen and the injury of Sergeant Matthew Gorman.”
Ransom, formerly of St. John’s Place in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated manslaughter in the second degree and robbery in the first degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder. The defendant also pleaded guilty to robbery in the second degree for a separate hold up on February 8, 2019. Today, Justice Holder imposed a sentence of 33 years in prison to be followed by five years’ post release supervision.
According to Court records, on February 12, 2019, Ransom and a co-defendant arrived at a Richmond Hill T-Mobile store on 120th Street shortly after 6 p.m. Ransom ordered the two employees inside to surrender cash and merchandise while brandishing what appeared to be a black pistol. Ransom had corralled the employees in a back room of the store when police arrived. He pointed the fake pistol at the arriving police officers. In response, the officers discharged their weapons.
Detective Brian Simonsen, a 19-year-veteran of the NYPD was fatally shot once in the torso. He was 42 years old. Sergeant Matthew Gorman was seriously injured with a bullet wound to his left leg, and has recovered.
Assistant District Attorney Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, prosecuted the case under the supervision Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.