Detective fatally shot in New York City was killed by friendly fire

NEW YORK — A New York City police detective was shot and killed Tuesday in what police said was "friendly fire" while responding to an attempted armed robbery. A second detective who was shot and wounded in the leg was listed as stable.

The dead detective was identified as Brian Simonsen, 42, a 19-year veteran of the police department. Simonsen, who was shot in the chest, was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital, officials said. He was the first New York officer to have been killed in the line of duty since July 2017.

The wounded detective wasn't identified.

A suspect, described as a 27-year-old career criminal, was shot multiple times and was in custody at a hospital; no condition was disclosed, but he was listed as stable, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. An "imitation firearm" was found at the scene, he said.

The detectives were responding to a 911 call about a robbery in progress at a cellphone store in Richmond Hills in Queens at about 6:10 p.m. ET, O'Neill said. Multiple officers responded and fired multiple rounds, during which Simonsen was struck, O'Neill said.

Agencies