NEW YORK _ The horrific episode lasted less than a minute, with 42 shots fired in one 11-second stretch by seven city cops.
When the gunsmoke outside a Queens store literally cleared, a decorated New York Police Department detective was mortally wounded by friendly fire and officials were left to sift through the aftermath of a cop's worst nightmare.
Slain Detective Brian Simonsen, a 19-year veteran widely admired by colleagues and neighbors, was not wearing a bulletproof vest when the shooting erupted suddenly outside the T-Mobile outlet phone at 6:12 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.
One police source indicated the body cam video taken from five of the officers showed a chaotic scene where four bullets per second were fired frantically.
"You don't want to see that footage," said the source. "It was like the Wild West out there. From the cameras, you can't even see who they are shooting at."
Simonsen, 42, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, an autopsy determined. His decision to not wear a vest ignored NYPD protocol and cost the cop from the 102nd Precinct his life.
"Everything happens in seconds, it goes from zero to 60 (mph)," said NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan. "Your adrenaline is high. It's horrible ... You're reacting to something happening very fast."
Eight cops, including Simonsen and his partner Sgt. Matthew Gorman, arrived at the scene just seconds apart to find suspect Christopher Ransom was inside, armed with what turned out to be a fake handgun.
The robber pointed the "weapon" at the officers and feigned shooting _ even recoiling his arm as if the gun had fired, according to a source.
Ransom, 27, was hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound suffered as he approached the cops.
"Mr Ransom's bizarre behavior is a case of tragic irony," said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association. "He confronted cops with an imitation gun during the commission of a robbery, which indicates to me he wanted to commit 'suicide by cop.' And the irony is that he lived and the cop died."
Gorman, with two uniformed cops, was backing out of the store as Ransom came toward them with the gun extended. Simonsen was outside as the bullets started flying barely 30 seconds after the cops arrived in a black unmarked detectives' vehicle and a patrol car.
Neither of the wounded cops was mistaken for a suspect during the frenzied explosion of gunfire, cops said.
Ransom, 27, remained in Booth Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds. He had yet to make any statements, and no charges were yet brought against him.
But Monahan laid the killing of the 42-year-old Simonsen at the feet of the wounded suspect: "This scene is caused by a man charging police officers. The blame goes to that individual for doing that."
The smell of gunpowder filled the February night from the volume of shots fired, according to witnesses at the scene. The officers were responding to a 911 call of a gunman holding store workers hostage.
Gorman fired 11 shots, Simonsen squeezed after two rounds and five of the other officers were responsible for the other 29 bullets.
Dozens of evidence markers remained Wednesday in the crime scene area surrounding the Richmond Hill store, with a line of police officers scouring the area for additional evidence.
The detective's unmarked black Ford, pocked with gunshots, remained parked outside the store. A constellation of bullet holes in the glass bore witness to the gunfire.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed all state government buildings to fly their flags at half-staff from Thursday through the detective's burial.
Simonsen spent his entire career working in the 102nd Precinct in Queens, where he was viewed as a cut above the average cop by local residents.
"This is a man who was doing his job, and he was happy with his job, and his job was to make sure that the street was safe," said lifelong neighborhood resident Polo Savinon, 26.
"You lose somebody like that, you lost more than just an officer," he continued. "It really is a shame."
During his long career, Simonsen logged 569 arrests _ including 446 felony busts. He also earned five Excellent Police Duty Medals and one Meritorious Police Duty Medal.
He was working on a local robbery pattern when killed, and could have skipped his shift after attending a union delegates meeting in the morning.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recounted speaking with the detective's wife and mother at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital after the shooting.
"It's a particularly painful responsibility to speak with family who have just lost their loved one in service to our city," he recounted. "And you can imagine how devastated they were .... The bravery it takes to go into an unknown situation like that is extraordinary, and he gave his life for us."
Gorman, shot in the hip Wednesday evening, remained in the Queens hospital. Family members at his Seaford home declined to speak with reporters, and a local police car was parked outside. He responded to the call with Simonsen.
"He seems like a nice guy, I see him walking his dog," said Gorman's neighbor Tom Sofia, 84. "It's a big relief to know he is going to be released."
The married Simonsen joined the NYPD in March of 2000, and landed at the 102nd Precinct just seven months later. He was assigned to the precinct Detective Squad in November 2006, and promoted to detective in May of 2008.
The New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund will provide the Simonsen family with $25,000 to cover their immediate expenses _ including the slain detective's funeral.
"We are heartbroken for his family, for the NYPD, and for our entire city," said Lauren Profeta, executive director of the fund. "It is a tremendous loss. We vow to honor Detective Simonsen by helping those he loved the most _ his family."
