Posted on 11/26/2006 11:36:22 AM PST by NormsRevenge
JAMAICA, N.Y., Nov. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) of the Sixth Congressional District, released the following statement today on the police shooting of Sean Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield:
"Just after 4:00 a.m. yesterday morning, Saturday, November 25, 2006, a horrible, inexplicable tragedy occurred. Five police officers fired at least 50 rounds into an automobile driven by 23 year-old Sean Bell, who, along with two passengers, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, were leaving Mr. Bell's bachelor party at a nearby nightclub. Mr. Bell, a father of two daughters - three years-old and five months-old - who was to be married to his children's mother later that day, was hit three times and pronounced dead on arrival at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. I extend my deepest sympathy to his fiancée, daughters, and family.
"Mr. Bell's two companions were also shot. Mr. Guzman was wounded as many as 11 times. Mr. Benefield was shot three times. According to police, the vehicle in which the three young men were riding was pierced by at least 21 bullets.
"No guns or other weapons were found on the victims, in the car, or at the scene. No charges have been filed against the men, despite their having been tailed by five police officers, one on foot, two each in two separate vehicles.
"It is too early to come to a full judgment -- not enough facts are known or have been released to my office or to the families of the victims or to other elected officials, clergy, or community activists, to reach final conclusions. However, Sean Bell's fiancée, children, family, friends, and community deserve and must be given a full and complete explanation. We do not know all the facts, except that there are two little girls who have lost their father. As well as a bereaved mother who has been deprived of a husband.
"On the surface, it is hard to explain why five police officers found it necessary to fire 50 rounds into a vehicle with three unarmed individuals inside? It is even harder to explain what compelled one of the officers to empty his clip, reload and empty a second? Even if the officers thought the men were armed, it is hard to understand why the police officers simply didn't order Bell, Guzman, and Benefield to raise their hands and get out of the car?.
"Justice and truth demands unvarnished answers. If this is yet another case of excessive force then the police officers must be held accountable to the fullest extent allowed by law. The investigation must be conducted with transparency, thoroughness, and priority.
"The burden is on Commissioner Ray Kelly, the NYPD, Mayor Bloomberg, and Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown to conduct the investigation in a manner that inspires confidence, reveals the full truth, administers justice, and brings the city together. A burden is on all of us to handle this tragedy with the determination to remain vigilant and persevering in uncovering the truth. We must not be divisive or provocative; but we must maintain the respect for the memory Sean Bell. I ask all New Yorkers of good faith to keep Mr. Bell's family in your thoughts and prayers."
In this undated family photo, Sean Bell and his fiancee Nicole Paultre pose with their daughter. Bell was shot by New York City Police in the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006, as he left his bachelor's party in the borough of Queens. He and Paultre were to be married later in the day. (AP Photo/Family Photo via The Daily News)
Kin hold vigil for groom shot by police
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061126/ap_on_re_us/police_shooting_51
ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - At a vigil held the day after 23-year-old Sean Bell was to walk down the aisle and marry the mother of his two children, an angry crowd expressed outrage over his wedding day death in a shooting by New York City police.
The gatherers Sunday outside Mary Immaculate Hospital also prayed over the Saturday morning incident, which also left two men wounded, and elected officials and community leaders promised to hold police accountable.
Family members and activists are demanding answers from the police about what happened, especially why officers fired as many as 50 rounds at the unarmed group as they left Bell's bachelor party in a car.
"We cannot allow this to continue to happen," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been speaking for Bell's family. "We've got to understand that all of us were in that car."
The civil rights advocate led the sometimes heated crowd in chants of "No justice, no peace." At times some in the crowd of a few hundred yelled that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly should be ousted. And at one point, they counted off to 50, the number of rounds fired.
The surviving victims were Joseph Guzman, 31, who was shot at least 11 times, and Trent Benefield, 23, who was hit three times. The shootings occurred outside the Kalua Cabaret, a strip club where the bachelor party was held. Both men are at Mary Immaculate Hospital, where Guzman is in critical condition and Benefield listed as stable.
Relatives of all three men — many of them stoic, and some crying — attended Sunday's vigil but none spoke.
During a press conference Saturday evening, Kelly said the department was still piecing together what happened, and that it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified.
The officers' shots struck the men's car 21 times after the vehicle rammed into an undercover officer and hit an unmarked NYPD minivan. The wild gunfire hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no residents were injured.
Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun. But investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said.
Kelly said the incident stemmed from an undercover operation inside the strip club in the Jamaica section of Queens. Seven officers in plain clothes were investigating the Kalua Cabaret; five of them were involved in the shooting.
According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club after 4 a.m. One of his friends made a reference to a gun.
An undercover officer walked closely behind Bell and his friends as they headed for their car. As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, they drove forward — striking him and a nearby undercover police vehicle.
The officer who had followed the group on foot was apparently the first to open fire, Kelly said. That officer had served on the force for five years. One 12-year veteran fired his weapon 31 times, emptying two full magazines, Kelly said.
It was the first time any of the officers, who all carried 9 mm handguns, had been involved in a shooting, Kelly said.
At some point, Bell, who was driving, backed his car up onto the sidewalk, hitting a building gate. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said.
It was unclear whether the shooters had identified themselves as police, Kelly said.
Kelly's account of the events was based on statements made by witnesses and the two officers who did not shoot their weapons. Police could not question the other officers because the district attorney must first complete an investigation, Kelly said.
Guzman was in the front passenger's seat, while Benefield was in the back seat. Kelly said there may have been a fourth person in the car who fled the scene.
Three officers, including the officer hit by the car, were treated and released. Another detective remained hospitalized Sunday for hypertension.
Kelly said undercover officers were inside the club to document illicit activity. With one more violation the club would be shut down, Kelly said.
He said the establishment, next to an auto-body repair shop on a gritty block across from a Long Island Rail Road station, had a "chronic history of narcotics, prostitution and weapons complaints" and had been closed by authorities for three months last year.
On Sunday, the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care said it is issuing a vote of no confidence in Kelly over the shooting. It is also calling for the removal of the chief of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, Anthony Izzo, who it says created the undercover unit involved in the incident.
Additionally, the group wants a re-examination of what it says is a policy that allows officers from the organized crime control unit to consume alcohol on the job. "Who knows whether or not that was a factor in this particular shooting?" said Marq Claxton, a retired police detective and one of the founders of the group.
A police spokeswoman on Sunday did not immediately offer comment on the group's demands.
Sharpton on Sunday repeatedly said that the police's story didn't make sense. Community leaders are planning a rally at police headquarters for Dec. 6. "We are not going to stop. This is the beginning," Sharpton said.
This isn't the first time the NYPD has come under scrutiny over police-involved shootings.
In 1999, police killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant who was shot 19 times in the Bronx. The four officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges.
And in 2003, Ousmane Zongo was shot to death during a police raid. The 43-year-old, a native of the western African country of Burkina Faso, repaired art and musical instruments in Manhattan. He was hit four times, twice in the back.
Bell and his fiancee were the parents of two children, a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old.
At the end of the vigil Sunday, relatives of Bell led the crowd in a walk around the hospital block.
___
Associated Press writers Deepti Hajela, Jennifer Peltz, Tom Hays and Cristian Salazar contributed to this report.
"...Sean Bell and his fiancee Nicole Paultre pose with their daughter."
Hmmm...
Why were they being tailed in the first place?
At least Congressman Meeks didn't come out and call the officers cold blooded killers like Murtha did with the Haditha Marines. Meeks is at least willing to wait for the results of the investigation.
Bell threw the car into reverse and slammed into a building, then drove forward into the van again. Plainclothes cops poured from the van. Five officers at the scene began shooting.
Kelly said the investigation was ongoing. He stopped short of judging the actions of the officers involved. In 2004, he had quickly characterized the shooting of 19-year-old Timothy Stansbury by a Brooklyn cop as unjustified.
Why did they run?
"According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club...One of his friends made a reference to a gun."
"As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, they drove forward — striking him and a nearby undercover police vehicle."
"At some point, Bell, who was driving, backed his car up onto the sidewalk, hitting a building gate. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said."
"It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said."
Huh?
per a bit of info in this article which I don;t recall hearing before,
the driver was heard mentioning the word gun or such by an undercover cop on the outside of the club as it was closing, he tailed them and ..
Victims of the WOD? I read an article suggesting a sting operation was on-going at the strip club.
That's 2 killed this week alone. Looks like both were innocent victims. Besides those 5 or so shot who may be ok.
"....we know that the NYPD officers on the scene had reason to believe that an altercation involving a firearm was about to happen and were trying to stop it", Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. (AP).
50 rounds seem a little stern for an "altercation".
Reminds me of Janet Reno stopping the child abuse at Waco.
WOD ? more like victim of WOW - war on words.
Looks like there is alot more to this story then what's being reporting on the news
Time will tell. The police have been looking to shut down this club for some time. They may have finally succeeded.
Sounds to me like there maybe some organized crime that is involved here ... that the Rev Al seemed to forget to mention in his presser
Yep .. all one has to do is read the story
It's not just some innocent man who was about to get married like is being reporting on TV
There's alot more to this story
"Why did they run?"
Undercover policemen - no way to tell if they are cops or hoods.
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