I'm glad you pointed this out. Now I realize why the police should be able to kill anyone leaving the club. Surely some of those who were in the club deserved killing.
Remarks by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Police Headquarters
I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL OF THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM AT THIS POINT.
THERE IS SOME INFORMATION WE DON’T HAVE. THAT’S BECAUSE WE ARE PRECLUDED FROM INTERVIEWING ALL OF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED UNTIL THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FINISHES HIS REVIEW. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AT 4:14 THIS MORNING IN JAMAICA, QUEENS. ONE PERSON WAS SHOT AND KILLED AND TWO OTHERS WERE WOUNDED BY POLICE GUNFIRE. A TOTAL OF SEVEN POLICE OFFICERS WERE INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT, FIVE OF WHOM FIRED THEIR WEAPONS. THE OTHER TWO, WHO DID NOT SHOOT, A LIEUTENANT AND AN UNDERCOVER OFFICER, HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED.
THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE SHOOTING UNFOLDED AT THE CLUB KALUA AT 143-08 94TH STREET IN JAMAICA. A CLUB ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO MONITOR THE CLUB BECAUSE OF A CHRONIC HISTORY OF NARCOTICS, PROSTITUTION AND WEAPONS COMPLAINTS THERE. IT HAD BEEN CLOSED THROUGH NUISANCE ABATEMENT IN JULY 2005 FOR PROSTITUTION AND UNDER AGE DRINKING.
IT WAS ALLOWED TO RE-OPEN IN OCTOBER 2005. SINCE THEN, IT HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. THERE WERE TWENTY-SIX 9-1-1 CALLS TO THE CLUB IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, AND 8 ARRESTS THERE FOR WEAPONS, NARCOTICS AND PROSTITUTION. THE MOST RECENT ARRESTS THERE FOR NARCOTICS AND PROSTITUTION WERE MADE ON TUESDAY.
TWO UNDERCOVER OFFICERS WERE INSIDE THE CLUB AT ABOUT ONE A.M... TODAY TO DOCUMENT ANY ILLICIT ACTIVITY THERE. WITH ONE MORE DOCUMENTED VIOLATION, THE CLUB WOULD FACE ANOTHER NUISANCE ABATEMENT CLOSURE.
AT ABOUT 3:00 A.M., ONE OF THE UNDERCOVER OFFICERS OVERHEARD ONE OF THE CLUB’S DANCERS COMPLAIN TO A MAN THAT SHE HAD BEEN BOTHERED BY ONE OF THE PATRONS. THE MAN INDICATED BY PATTING HIS WAISTBAND THAT HE HAD A GUN, AND HE TOLD THE WOMAN WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE UNDERCOVER WHO HEARD THE EXCHANGE LEFT THE CLUB TO NOTIFY HIS SUPERVISOR AND BACK-UP TEAM OF POSSIBLE TROUBLE.
AT ABOUT 4 AM OUTSIDE IN FRONT OF THE CLUB, A GROUP OF APPROXMAILEY 8 MEN BEGAN TO ARGUE WITH A LONE MALE, THREATENING TO ASSAULT HIM. ONE OF THE MALES IN THE GROUP OF 8 YELLED “YO, GET MY GUN.” AND ANOTHER THREATENED TO ASSAULT THE LONE MALE. THE GROUP OF 8 ULTIMATELY LEFT THE MAN ALONE.
THEY BROKE INTO TWO GROUPS OF 4 AND PROCEEDED EAST ON 94TH AVENUE,
ABOUT A HALF BLOCK TO LIVERPOOL STREET, WHERE THEY TURNED SOUTH.
ONE OF THE UNDERCOVER OFFICERS, WHO I’LL CALL UNDERCOVER NUMBER ONE, STAYED CLOSE BEHIND THE SECOND GROUP OF FOUR. UNDERCOVER OFFICER TWO REMAINED IN FRONT OF THE CLUB. MEANWHILE, THE BACK UP TEAMS FOLLOWED UNDERCOVER OFFICER ONE AS HE STAYED CLOSE BEHIND THE GROUP OF FOUR. THE BACK UP TEAMS WERE COMPRISED OF A LIEUTENANT AND TWO OTHER OFFICERS IN AN UNMARKED TOYOTA CAMRY, AND TWO OTHER OFFICERS IN A FORD “FREESTAR” MINIVAN.
UNDERCOVER OFFICER ONE CROSSED FROM THE WEST SIDE TO THE EAST SIDE OF LIVERPOOL STREET, AS THE FOUR MEN HE WAS OBSERVING ENTERED A NISSAN ALTIMA. AS THE UNDERCOVER OFFICER APPROACHED THE FRONT OF THE CAR, THE CAR MOVED FORWARD, STRIKING THE UNDERCOVER. IT THEN PLOWED INTO THE FRONT OF THE POLICE MINIVAN THAT HAD JUST TURNED SOUTH ON LIVERPOOL STREET. THE DRIVER OF THE ALTIMA PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND DROVE BACKWARD ONTO THE SIDEWALK, SLAMMING INTO A ROLL-DOWN GATE OF THE BUILDING THERE, CLOSE TO WHERE THE UNDERCOVER OFFICER WAS LOCATED.THE DRIVER PUT THE CAR INTO FORWARD AND RAMMED THE POLICE MINIVAN A SECOND TIME.
FIVE POLICE OFFICERS FIRED A TOTAL OF 50 ROUNDS AT THE THE ALTIMA. THE DRIVER, SEAN BELL, WAS STRUCK TWICE, IN THE RIGHT ARM AND NECK. HE WAS PRONOUNCED AT JAMAICA HOSPITAL. JOSEPH GUZMAN, WHO WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, WAS STRUCK MULTIPLE TIMES…AS MANY AS 11 TIMES. HE IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AT MARY IMMACULATE IN QUEENS. TRENT BENEFIELD, WHO WAS IN THE BACK SEAT, WAS SHOT THREE TIMES, IN LOWER LEGS AND THE RIGHT REAR BUTTOCKS. HE IS IN STABLE CONDITION AT MARY IMMACULATE HOSPITAL.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A FOURTH INDIVIDUAL IN THE CAR WHO FLED.
THE POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS STRUCK BY THE VEHICLE WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FOR AN ABRASION TO HIS RIGHT SHIN. ONE OF THE DETECTIVES ASSIGNED AS BACK UP REMAINS AT NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL IN NASSAU COUNTRY FOR OBSERVATION BECAUSE OF HYPERTENSION. TWO PORT AUTHORITY POLICE OFFICERS WERE TREATED AND RELEASED FOR MINOR FACIAL INJURES FROM GLASS FROM A WINDOW IN THE NEARBY AIR TRAIN FACILITY. THE WINDOW HAD BEEN SHATTERED BY AN ERRANT ROUND. ANOTHER ERRANT ROUND PENETRATED THE WINDOW OF A PRIVATE HOUSE NEARBY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH IT, HOWEVER.
THE TWO OFFICERS IN THE MINIVAN, EXITED THEIR VEHICLE AND FIRED AT TOTAL OF 34 SHOTS BETWEEN THEM. ONE OF THE TWO, A 12-YEAR VETERAN OF THE DEPARTMENT, FIRED 31 TIMES. THE OTHER, A 5-YEAR VETERAN, FIRED THREE TIMES.
THE TWO OFFICERS WITH THE LIEUTENANT IN THE CAMRY EXITED THE VEHICLE AND FIRED A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES. ONE OFFICER, A 17-YEAR VETERAN, FIRED FOUR TIMES.
THE OTHER, A 9-YEAR VETERAN, FIRED ONCE. UNDERCOVER OFFICER, A FIVE-YEAR VETERAN, FIRED 11 TIMES. ALL OF THESE OFFICERS WERE ARMED WITH 9MM SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS. NONE HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN SHOOTINGS PREVIOUSLY.
NEITHER THE LIEUTENANT NOR UNDERCOVER OFFICER TWO FIRED.
OUR BALLISTICS TEAM HAS RECOVERED 40 SHELL CASINGS SO FAR. THEY FOUND THE NISSAN ALTIMA HAS BEEN STRUCK 21 TIMES.
AT ABOUT 2:30 THIS AFTERNOON, A SEARCH WARRANT WAS OBTAINED FOR THE ALTIMA. NO WEAPON WAS RECOVERED.
AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE PRECLUDED FROM INTERVIEWING THE SHOOTING OFFICERS UNTIL, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY COMPLETES HIS INVESTIGATION. WE HAVE QUESTIONED THE TWO NON-SHOOTING OFFICERS, INCLUDING UNDERCOVER OFFICER TWO. UNDERCOVER OFFICER TWO WAS IN FRONT OF THE CLUB WHEN HE HEARD AN INDIVIDUAL LATER IDENTIFIED AS THE DRIVER OF THE ULTIMA, SEAN BELL, SAY “LET’S F… HIM UP,” IN REFERENCE TO AN UNIDENTIFIED MALE STANDING BY A BLACK SUV IN FRONT OF THE CLUB. THE UNDERCOVER OFFICER SAID THAT HE HEARD THE INDIVIDUAL LATER IDENTIFIED AS JOSEPH GUZMAN SAY “YO, GO GET MY GUN.”
THE LIEUTENANT, IN HIS INTERVIEW SAID, THAT UNDERCOVER OFFICER ONE CALLED HIM JUST PRIOR TO THE SHOOTING TO REPORT THAT, QUOTE: “IT’S GETTING HOT ON LIVERPOOL, FOR REAL, I THINK THERE’S A GUN.” AT THIS POINT, THE LIEUTENANT WAS PRECEDING EAST ON 94TH AVENUE IN THE TOYOTA CAMRY ABOUT AT BLOCK FROM LIVERPOOL STREET. THE POLICE MINIVAN FOLLOWED HIM ONTO THE BLOCK
AS THE LIEUTENANT TURNED SOUTH ONTO LIVERPOOL, AND PROCEEDED DOWN THE BLOCK, HE PASSED THE ALTIMA, AND THEN HEARD THE ALTIMA CRASH INTO THE MINIVAN AND THEN THE SHOTS FIRED. A CIVILIAN WITNESS DESCRIBED THE ULTIMA CRASH INTO THE POLICE MINIVAN AND THE ENSUING SHOOTING.
WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS SHOOTING WHEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW THE OFFICERS WHO FIRED. NOW, I’LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
The shot driver tried to kill a police officer.
"...should be able to kill anyone leaving the club. Surely some of those who were in the club deserved killing."
You make a good point here. Just because the club is a notorious drug and sex shop, doesn't give license to police to shoot on sight. I just don't believe that this is what happened in this case. It sounds like self-defense. This perp tried to run over a cop, then rammed a police undercover van twice, and was going for an encore. Just when would you have started shooting? After getting a close-up view of the radiator? While getting your teeth flossed by a couple of Goodyears?