31, 11, 4...
Detectives Michael Oliver, left, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper
Posted on 04/25/2008 6:22:46 AM PDT by Dallas
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A judge has acquitted three NYPD detectives of all charges in the shooting death of 23-year-old Sean Bell on Friday. Bell was gunned down in a hail of 50 bullets outside a Queens strip club on what would have been his wedding day in November 2006.
The highly anticipated verdict, which many see as holding far-reaching social ramifications for New York City and its police force, comes after seven weeks worth of testimony without a jury.
Detectives Gescard Isnora and Michael Oliver, faced up to 25 years behind bars for manslaughter charges, while Det. Marc Cooper faced a year in jail on reckless endangerment charges.
The detectives, who were responding to complaints about prostitution at the club, have claimed they fired their guns only after Isnora identified himself as a police officer and Bell's car nearly ran him over.
Oliver fired 31 shots in the incident, Isnora fired 11, and Cooper fired four times.
Defense attorneys had said there was evidence that Bell was drunk and "out of control" when he left the club. Witnesses overheard Bell exchange curses with another patron, and heard one of the passengers in the car, Joseph Guzman, who was also shot, say to someone, "Go get my gat," slang for gun. They had also argued Bell had tried to run over Isnora with his car.
Investigators found no gun at the scene.
Prosecutors argued that Oliver would have found there was no threat if he had "paused to reassess" while firing the 31 shots. They said that Cooper fired wildly, with one of his shots even hitting an elevated airport train station. And they alleged that Isnora failed to display his badge in a clearly visible manner and wait for backup, and gave contradictory orders to Bell and his friends.
Bell was supposed to be married at Community Baptist Church in Jamaica the same day of the shooting. On Thursday night, that hallowed ground became the site of a spiritual rally of sorts as an entire city waited for a verdict that had been anticipated for months.
Inspirational words were uttered by the Rev. Al Sharpton for the community and Sean's family.
"We have no hate. We have no malice. We seek no revenge. We put in God's hands. And in God's own time this city will deal with justice," Sharpton said.
Bell's fiancé and mother have been overwhelmed by the unwavering support they've received since his death.
"I want to start by thanking you all (for) sticking by my family – my other mother and my other father and me. And supporting us because God knows we need it," Nicole Paultre Bell said.
Outside the courtroom, the NYPD had preparing for any post-verdict scenario or protests.
"We certainly have no reason to expect violence," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said Thursday. "There's been many demonstrations, memorials, marches since the incident took place. We've done things that the public would expect us to do to prepare for any contingency."
Added Bishop Lester Williams: "How can you celebrate officers who are supposed to take care of you and are now going to jail, if that is the case? And then how can you celebrate if they don't go to jail. The loss that that family will [have to] endure [will last] forever, so there is no victory. We have to sit down and make sure this does not happen again."
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 for continuing coverage of this developing story.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
so what? That will teach people not to smash into police cars fleeing from the police when ordered to stop. The police had no choice but to use overwhelming force. I am grateful the police will not go to prison for simply doing their job.
>Believe it or not, this is a civilized city.
Bawahahaha! LOL, oh that is rich.
Civilized, as in where a cop pours 31 shots into an unarmed man.
Please. to fire of 31 rounds with that firearm is a lot of work.
He repeatedly reloaded.
If that cop was white, there would be rioting right now.
I could have hit 15 -20 targets with that many rounds.
No, no, no. ;)
If you have the facts, beat on the facts.
If you have the Law, beat on the Law.
If you have nothing, beat on the table.
(just how I learned it)
WHY are NYC cops so PERSISTANTLY trigger-happy? Could it be that because of the gun bans in their state, they are hyper-sensitive to the mere MENTION of them, let alone SIGHT? Cowards.
No marriage license? I hadn’t heard that little detail.
Now Bell’s father is going to file a $50 million lawsuit against the City.
So “Mrs.” Bell will not share in the loot, I presume, since she decided to live with and have a child with the victim without benefit of matrimony.
Too bad.
Yes much better to believe the criminals than the cops because every cop is a liar, a crok and a murderer!
The cop that fired 31 shots WAS WHITE! Waiting on the riots!
Smogger: you are right. If some black (or brown, orange, or purple with lavendar poke a dots) guys were charging at me or anyone else here wearing T-shirts and jeans and waving a gun, we would all floor the car and try to get out of there.
wideawake: You are right. These cops have a tough job. They risk their lives dealing with thugs, gang bangers, gang members who are armed to the teeth and have nothing to lose. In order to keep us safe. And for what? $22,000 starting salary in the NYPD. God bless em. 99% of cops are good people who are just trying to do their job and protect the community and get a paycheck to bring home to their family.
Are there a couple of dozen yahoos who get off on a power trip in each dept. and have emotional issues and enjoy messing with people? Sure. We are dealing with humans not robots. (FWIW, I don't think these guys fall into that category)
Here's the point. I don't blame the cops. I don't blame Sean Bell and his friends. I'm sick of the sanctimonious folks who say "why was he in a strip club". If that was against the law, then every single buddy of mine...doctors, lawyers, engineers, business owners...would have been shot dead at their bachelor party. Frankly, this party was lame in comparison. I could tell you some interesting stories of what happens at a real bachelor party.
HERE'S WHO IS TO BLAME:
The dumbass supervisor/lawmakers/police brass who thought it would be a good idea to send a bunch of Gubmint agents armed with weapons into a club dressed as hoodlums to try to arrest some dudes for buying a bag of pot or paying $20 for oral sex.
Those dummies should be indicted.
It's a recipe for disaster. They will claim to be shocked....shocked I tell you...when it ends in tragedy.
The reason there was no jury is because the cops didn’t want one and knew that the prosecutor and judge didn’t want a conviction. A jury could have screwed up their plans and actually convicted them.
Let this be a lesson. If a prosecutor doesn’t want a conviction, he’s not going to get one.
The real truth will come out in the civil trial that is sure to follow.
You think cops don't lie to protect themselves and their "brothers"?
I’m glad that we as FReepers are starting to make sense of this senseless tragedy.
The moral of the story is the STATE should not use our tax dollars to send 3 20 something year old Gubmint agents into a bachelor party/seedy club armed to the teeth with taxpayer paid weapons and salaries, dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts to arrest citizens for marijuana or oral sex.
Blah, blah, blah....greater good, drugs bad, hookers illegal, yada, yada, yada......
I hope they are proud. 3 brave cops lives are ruined forever. Two girls will never know their dad.
But the STATE almost busted citizens for weed and oral sex for money. It was worth a shot.
It just didn’t go quite as planned. The dude who had his brains splattered on his Nissan Altima seats should have stopped to ask the guys wearing jeans and a sweatshirt whether they were gubmint law enforcement officials first..
That’s what all of us would do if some black dude in jeans charged at us with a gun. Roll down the windows and say “sir, are you a police officer?”
Gimme a break.
Oh, they lie. Big time. Prosecutors and judges know it. They are not stupid.
It’s the worst kept secret since the Bay of Pigs invasion.
If your job and pension were on the line, you would lie too.
Oliver fired 31 shots in the incident, Isnora fired 11, and Cooper fired four times.Gotta get at least two of these guys more time at the range.
That's a lot of bullets... Automatic weapon?
Or maybe he has seven holsters, or more than a couple of clips... :’)
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