Doughology in Lynbrook collects funds for fallen NYPD officer’s family

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Whenever Chris Stiasen learns about a police officer or a firefighter’s death, he sells doughnuts at Lynbrook-based Doughology to raise funds for the victim’s family. If the deceased were a police officer, he said, he would sell blue-striped doughnuts, and if the victim were a firefighter, he would sell red-striped doughnuts.

So, after news broke that a police officer was killed in friendly fire, Stiasen knew he had to help. From Feb. 19 – 21, Doughology sold the blue-striped doughnuts and collected more than $7,000 for Det. Brian Simonsen’s family.

“It’s a great feeling to know we could help them in any way,” said Stiasen, who served as an NYPD police officer for 23 years.

Simonsen was a Calverton resident and a police officer for the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct. He was confronting an alleged robber outside of a T-Mobile in Queens on Feb. 12, and when the person tried to run away, with a fake gun in his hand, seven of the eight responding officers fired 42 rounds, one of which struck Simonsen in the chest, authorities said.

He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, in Queens, where he was declared dead.

More than 100 police officers attended Simonsen’s funeral in Hampton Bays on Feb. 20, after which some traveled to Lynbrook to support Stiasen’s fundraiser, Stiasen said.

“It was really a great showing of support,” he said.