Slain NYPD detective from Calverton among 42 fallen city cops memorialized

NYPD Det. Brian Simonsen, a Calverton resident who died in 2019 as a result of friendly fire during a robbery, was among 42 names added Tuesday to the department’s Hall of Heroes.

During a poignant 20-minute ceremony in the lobby of police headquarters in Manhattan, the names of Simonsen and the other fallen officers honored on NYPD Memorial Day were unveiled on bronze plaques placed on bronze memorial tablets. Among the other honorees, Det. Brian Mulkeen, who also died in a 2019 friendly fire shooting, and officers whose deaths were attributed to illnesses from their work on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The common bond is that they laid down their lives for others. That is exactly what they did," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told an assembled group of family members, as well as Mayor Bill de Blasio, police and other public officials.

Earlier, chief police chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass called the lobby hallway, which contains the names of more than 1,000 officers who have died in the line of duty, an "ecumenical cathedral" honoring the fallen.

Shea told the hushed audience that forgetting the department's fallen "is not in our DNA."

"You should know that as we sit here today, that your loved ones will always be honored by this department for what they mean, for what have they done to this city," the commissioner said. "This city would be a far different place without the names on those walls."

Moments before Shea spoke, floral displays from police fraternal groups were brought into the hall. The multitude of floral arrangements added a fragrant aroma and a garden-like feel to the otherwise sterile red-bricked hall.

After the commissioner spoke, the new names on the wall were read out in a somber roll call. Then, Shea and de Blasio stood by one of the memorial walls as the plaques with the names of the latest honorees came into view.

The names of Simonsen and Mulkeen were inscribed on plaques placed on an adjacent wall. Simonsen, 42, was killed in a police crossfire as he other and cops responded in February 2019 to reports of a robbery in progress at a Richmond Hill cellphone store.

Christopher Ransom, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty last month to homicide and other charges stemming from Simonsen’s death. Ransom faces up to 33 years in prison when he is sentenced later this month. His co-defendant, Jagger Freeman, has rejected a plea bargain. His case will go to trial in Queens State Supreme Court at a later date.

Mulkeen, 33, of upstate Monroe, died in a September 2019 friendly fire shooting in the Bronx during a confrontation with a reputed gang member, according to police.

Antonio Williams, the man investigators said grappled with Mulkeen, was also killed by police bullets, officials said.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.