Sean Bell Verdict-- Not Guilty

jaha127

so... it was just announced that the police officers were found not quilty in the Sean Bell case...


From CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/25/sean.bell.trial/index.html

Cops not guilty in groom shooting
Story Highlights
Detectives acquitted of wrongdoing in Sean Bell shooting case

Judge decided case; there was no jury

Bell died in 50-bullet police barrage in Queens, New York, on wedding day

Community's outrage received international attention

From Deborah Feyerick
CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A judge acquitted three New York Police Department detectives of all charges Friday morning in the shooting death of an unarmed man in a 50-bullet barrage, hours before he was to be married.

Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends.

Detective Marc Cooper was acquitted of reckless endangerment.

Justice Arthur Cooperman issued his verdict in the bench trial. There was no jury.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Queens courthouse in anticipation of the verdict.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called for calm Wednesday. He was accompanied by Bell's fiancee and other supporters on the steps of City Hall.

Bell, 23, was killed just before dawn on his wedding day, November 25, 2006. He and several friends were winding up an all-night bachelor party at the Kalua Club in Queens, a strip club that was under investigation by a NYPD undercover unit looking into complaints of guns, drugs and prostitution.

Undercover detectives were inside the club, and plain-clothes officers were stationed outside.

Witnesses said that about 4 a.m., closing time, as Bell and his friends left the club, an argument broke out. Believing that one of Bell's friends, Joseph Guzman, was going to get a gun from Bell's car, one of the undercover detectives followed the men and called for backup.

What happened next was at the heart of the trial, prosecuted by the assistant district attorney in Queens.

Bell, Guzman and Trent Benefield got into the car, with Bell at the wheel. The detectives drew their weapons, said Guzman and Benefield, who testified that they never heard the plain-clothes detectives identify themselves as police.

Bell was in a panic to get away from the armed men, his friends testified.

But the detectives thought Bell was trying to run down one of them, according to their lawyers, believed that their lives were in danger and started shooting.

In a frantic 911 call, police can be heard saying, "Shots fired. Undercover units involved."

A total of 50 bullets were fired by five NYPD officers. Only three were charged with crimes.

Oliver, who reloaded his semiautomatic in the middle of the fray, fired 31 times, Isnora fired 11 times, and Cooper, whose leg was brushed by Bell's moving car, fired four times, the NYPD said.

No gun was found near Bell or his friends.

Soon after his death, Sean Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre, legally changed her name to Nicole Paultre Bell. She is now raising the couple's two daughters, ages 5 and 1.

"I tell [them] that Daddy's in heaven now," she said. "He's watching over us. He's our guardian angel. He's going to be here to protect us and make sure nothing happens to us."

Detectives Endowment Association President Michael Palladino said forensic and scientific evidence presented during the seven-week trial contradicts the testimony of prosecution witnesses.

But Paultre Bell's father, Lester Paultre, said, "For those naysayers who say the police was doing their job, they should imagine their child in that car being shot by the police for no reason."

Paultre Bell, Guzman and Benefield have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court that has been stayed pending the outcome of the criminal trial. Guzman was shot 16 times, and four bullets, too dangerous to remove, remain in his body, according to his lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein.

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have been monitoring the trial. In the event of an acquittal, it is likely authorities would conduct a review to determine whether there were any civil rights violations. All three victims were African-American.

MOD

:evil: :evil: :evil:

armchair_warrior

they had unreliable witnesses.

livetotravel

Did any sane person actually believe the verdict would be otherwise? It is fawking impossible to convict a cop in this city. It's a shame and a disgrace.

jaha127

Regardless, of unreliable witnesses or whether the police thought or assumed they had a weapon, something went terribly wrong. The number of shots fired by the police versus the number of people who they were aiming at just doesn’t seem right…

I thought that at least they’d get punished with the endangerment charge (whatever its called), I mean they shot sooo erratically that the bullets hit the Air Train ( I think we all saw that video and I can’t seem to find it on YouTube)… I mean it could’ve easily accidentally hit a bystander riding that train…

I am curious whats going to happen if this goes forward to a Federal trial… as well as when they go under the NYPD review board…

anonymous

Subject: Sean Bell Verdict

Who really cares about the verdict? How about getting young black men to act like responsible adults. We are killing ourselves. I am happy the police walked, they were just doing their jobs, and a dangerous one at that. The outcome is unfortunate, but if the victims would have behaved in a civil manner none of this would have happened. They should have just walked away from the nonsense. I understand the families outrage due to the excessive force, but I do not exactly understand how this case can be labeled a "Racial Killing". Two out of three charged were also black, so how does race play a role in this case? Let's be real, being a father, Sean should not have been hanging around such places with the digenerates he chose to surround himself with. Ultimately, his friends got him killed and his friends got the cops off. Do you think his friends will care about any of this after they get their millions? Do you think they would care about any federal charges the cops may face if it didn't help their civil suit? Do you think Al Sharpton really cares about the Bell family? He just wants to get press for his three ring circus. Sean Bell, I am sorry, but when you lie with dogs you are bound to get fleas. Better judgement would have saved this young man's life.

anonymous

Subject: What is going on in the world?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and here is mine. First off there is NO WAY that many shots should have been fired. It definitely could have been handled in a different way. Worse part of all is that yes someone has lost their lives due to it.
But the way that AL SHARPTON has decided to do things is just absolutely RIDICULOUS. Everyone wonders why there is so much racism and hate in the world well I can tell you why.....AL SHARPTON. What happened has happened and nothing can be changed. Now instead of learning and moving on from the mistakes that happened we have some moron out there trying to rally up people and spread hate. NEWS FLASH 3 officers that were being charged were BLACK. I can bet anything that if it was a white individual or a hispanic or green or yellow that it would have been swept under the rug and not get this much attention, but because it was a young black man all hell has to break loose and AL SHARPTON has to put his two cents in and rally up a bunch of hate.
Come on people lets get ourselves together and stop being so ridiculous and just join one another in peace. My heart does go out to Mr.Bells family and wife it is a horrible thing to happen, but lets not send hate across.

anonymous

Subject: Sean Bell verdict

What protests would have been planned had Sean Bell been tried a second time for any of the crimes he committed in his life?

If his family truly believes in God (so many of their speech forums are from the pulpit) then does their faith not allow them to believe these men will be judge by God for an eternity?