HOME TO HEAL
Sergeant hurt in friendly fire leaves hospital
The NYPD sergeant who survived a friendly fire incident that killed a fellow cop slipped quietly Thursday out of a Queens hospital.
Sgt. Matthew Gorman, 34, departed the Jamaica Hospital two days after he arrived with a bullet wound to his hip after he and six fellow officers fired 42 shots in just 11 seconds while responding to an armed robbery in Richmond Hill.
Gorman, who lives in Seaford, L.I., left without the usual NYPD fanfare accorded an officer headed home from a line of duty injury — no surprise given the Tuesday night chaos that ended with the death of Detective Brian Simonsen.
Simonsen, 42, was wounded fatally in the chest. Neither he nor Gorman were wearing their bullet-proof vests as required by NYPD protocol.
At the T-Mobile store, Gorman fired 11 times when confronted by a gunman whose weapon turned out to be fake. It remains unclear which officer fired the deadly gunshot.
Hours before Gorman’s release, the city’s top cop delivered his condolences to the Simonsen family at their Calverton, L.I., home.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill made sure to let widow LeAnne Simonsen know “what a terrific person, what a terrific police officer Brian was.”
Fellow cops, neighbors and residents of the 102nd Precinct were effusive in their praise of Simonsen, whose perpetually positive attitude earned him the nickname “Smiles.” “They’re strong, but they’re crushed,” said O’Neill after his visit with the slain officer’s heartbroken family and their dog, Roscoe. “We just wanted to spend some time with them, offer our condolences and support them ... We’ll be with them forever.” The late officer’s mother, Linda, was staying with the widow, as was LeAnne’s mother, Barbara, who came in from Chicago. Simonsen’s organs were donated after his death, his partner Terrence LeGrady told the Daily News. “Anybody who got his organs is very blessed. … I hope they live a happy, healthy life, as he did,” he said.
A wake for Simonsen will be held Monday from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral in Mattituck, L.I., followed by a funeral mass Wednesday morning at St. Rosalie Roman Catholic Church in Hampton Bays.
He will be buried at Jamesport Cemetery.
Investigators sent a drone above the store for about 25 minutes Thursday, snapping hundreds of high-definition photos of the scene.
“It aids the investigators in what they’re looking at. It does create a 3-D image when it’s processed,” said Deputy Inspector Vincent Guerriera of the Technical Assistant Response Unit.
Memorials to Simonsen including flowers and candles appeared at the precinct and the crime scene.
“My son is a cop, too,” said a woman after lighting a candle and leaving two heart-shaped balloons. “This is very personal.”