Man in 2019 NYC robbery that led to officer's death pleads guilty

NEW YORK - A man whose robbery of a store led to a "terrible chain of events" that culminated in a police officer's death in the crossfire of other officers' bullets pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated manslaughter and robbery.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Christopher Ransom, 30, was expected to be sentenced next month to 33 years in prison for the February 2019 robbery, where New York Police Department Detective Brian Simonsen died after being hit once in the chest.

"The defendant set in motion a terrible chain of events that began with a robbery and ended in a spray of bullets," Katz said in a statement.

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An attorney representing Ransom had no comment.

Authorities said Ransom, who has an extensive criminal record, and a second man went to the store in Queens and demanded cash and commercial goods, with Ransom pointing what appeared to be a real gun.

When police responded to the scene, he pointed it at them, leading officers to fire their own weapons, authorities said.

Simonsen, 42, a 19-year veteran of the NYPD, was killed, and another officer injured in his leg.