NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen’s union fired back Wednesday at a lawyer representing one of the cop’s alleged murderers for claiming that the fallen hero would have wanted his accused killer let off easy.
Ken “Finkelman’s slime-ball comments add insult to injury,” Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, fumed in a statement. “How dare he exploit our detective’s good nature to extract an advantage for his career-criminal client.”
Simonsen — cut down by friendly fire while responding to Christopher Ransom’s alleged hold-up of a Queens cellphone store last week — was a “great guy” who likely would not “have wanted to see our client go away for the rest of his life pursuant to a homicide charge in these circumstances,” Finkelman, Ransom’s lawyer, speculated Tuesday.
Finkelman also alleged that his client was being “overcharged and scapegoated” to distract from procedural breakdowns in the chaotic fusillade that saw Simonsen shot dead and Sgt. Matthew Gorman struck in the leg by NYPD bullets.
But Palladino said it’s about time justice catches up to Ransom, who has been charged with murder in Simonsen’s Feb. 12 death.
“Christopher Ransom has been arrested 25 times and received more than his fair share of second chances,” said Palladino. “It’s time for him to face the music for his actions.”
The war of words escalated as Simonsen, 42, was being laid to rest Wednesday morning on his native Long Island.