Hundreds of bikers hit the road to honor fallen NYPD detective from Calverton

Hundreds of bikers hit the road Sunday to honor fallen NYPD Detective and Calverton native Brian Simonsen, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.
It marked the first Brian Simonsen Motorcycle Run. As News 12 has reported, the 42-year-old was shot and killed by friendly fire while responding to an armed robbery in Queens back in February.
Simonsen is one of two members of the NYPD killed by friendly fire this year. Detective Brian Mulkeen was killed by police bullets one week ago, while struggling with an armed suspect in the Bronx.
Sunday's ride was not about how Simonsen died -- it was instead a celebration of the way he lived. He's remembered as someone with a kind personality, whose nickname was "Smiles," because friends and former co-workers say he always wore a big smile on his face.
Several of Simonsen's former partners took part in Sunday's event. They say the precinct where they work will never be the same without him, and they're making sure to keep his memory alive.
"He got the name Smiles for a reason, always smiling even through the worst of times," says Khalid Ragab, Simonsen's former partner. "He was very close to us, very close to our hearts, and we just want to make sure more than anything else that his name, Smiles, is never forgotten."
The bikers rode from a Harley Davidson shop in Oakdale to downtown Riverhead. The proceeds will go to the Brian Simonsen Foundation, which supports education in the Riverhead community.