Tragic déjà vu
The career-criminal duo whose alleged phonestore robbery led to an NYPD detective’s death last week had knocked over another cellular shop days before the fateful heist, according to records unsealed Sunday.
Christopher Ransom, 27, and Jagger Freeman, 25, are now both charged with second-degree murder and a slew of other felonies for the Feb. 12 death of Detective Brian Simonsen. The cop was fatally struck in a fusillade of friendly fire as police shot at Ransom when he charged at them at a T-Mobile store.
Ransom dry-fired an imitation pistol at police, prompting them to unleash 42 shots in his direction — one of which hit Sgt. Matthew Gorman in the leg. Another round struck Simonsen in the chest, killing him.
Freeman, the alleged accomplice, was arrested Saturday and arraigned in Queens Criminal Court the next day. Judge Guy Mitchell ordered him held without bail.
Ransom and Freeman committed nearly the same robbery four days before, according to Freeman’s criminal complaint.
With Freeman directing him by phone, Ransom stormed into a Linden Boulevard T-Mobile store on Feb. 8, tied up the staff at gunpoint and fled with 25 iPhones and $1,000, the complaint states, adding the pair later “discussed how they would share in the proceeds of said robbery.”
Freeman and Ransom are both charged with murder in the Feb. 12 incident because they “set off a chain reaction that resulted in two members of the NYPD being shot,” Queens ADA Michael Curtis alleged.
Freeman, who appeared disheveled in court, kept his head low Sunday as public defender Jonathan Latimer announced that the “defendant maintained his innocence.”
Meanwhile, mourners gathered outside Simonsen’s 120th Precinct station house to remember the fallen 19-year department veteran.
“He meant a lot to me. He was like another dad to me,” said Nicole Perez, 14, whose detective father, Nicholas Perez, worked with Simonsen.
A robbery victim whose case was assigned to Simonsen told The Post the detective was “kind,” “very compassionate” and “a total professional.”
Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan