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.)
Maybe he’s old enough to realize his words can cause riots
after all, he sure has a history for it...
I see. So you believe Al Sharpton is the truly informed commentator in this matter.
Nice leap. Not a record but a noble attempt.
If you have any evidence other than the standard cop bashing pertaining to this case feel free to enlighten us.
I think we all know the answer to that.
Once again the police get away with murder. Why would anyone be surprised?
On what points of this case does your position differ from the position of Al Sharpton?
Enlighten me.
Nice try.
The bad reporting and publicity of the case is the reason there was no jury.
The publicity of the case in this area was so over the top that you were not going to seat an impartial jury. They would have had to move for a change of jurisdiction to another state to seat a jury on this case.
Yes, you are right, the other officer is Lebanese - so there goes the race card out the window. Perspective from New York: My old neighborhood were I lived was not too far from where the shooting took place, and that whole area after dark, is no man’s land. Like all decent folks know better after dark, you go inside and stay inside, bars on all windows of your house, yes - that thing - no families with baby carriages strolling, no Starbucks - nada. My King Solomon’s solution for that area and that particular community that constantly has a problem with law enforcement: police yourselves, have group civilian patrols, patrol your area. For example, do you see any Asian community that has a problem with the police - no, it is because they behave or police themselves. You know the sad thing is the Black Community has many hard working and good people in it, it is always these incidents and the actions of the bad elements of that community that shape and define it, enough is enough./Just Asking - seoul62........
I repeat the question: on what points of fact or law does your analysis of this case differ from Al Sharpton's analysis?
I love how everyone just assumes that people everywhere are as retarded as they are in Los Angeles and some other cities. We're actually civilized here in NY. There ain't gonna be no riots.
By the way, I just checked out your website. Your photographs are outstanding.
Sorry, not interested in that silly game. Find somebody else who wants to play.
Sensationalist maybe, but he had the facts down. The “victims” were a group of thugs that the media and local activist painted as saints. The NYPD have a tough job and I have nothing but respect for 99% of them
Sounds good, that’s what change of venue is for.
First Snipes and now this and it’s Friday. When the Sun sets things are going to get interesting on both coasts. I watched the smoke cover our Capitol Building during the MLK funeral riots.
So his family, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's pastor keep saying.
It certainly would be the one possible way the PR team could gin up sympathy for his wild night out at a grimy strip club: it was a bachelor party!
However, his "fiancee" announced that she would officially marry him posthumously. This is legally possible, but she spoke too soon.
You can only marry someone posthumously if there has already been an official marriage license issued.
And there was no such marriage license.
Bell was killed at 4 AM on a Saturday morning. How was he possibly going to get married the following day when he had no marriage license and the city clerk's office was closed?
Is the pastor in the habit of violating city law by officiating at weddings that are not licensed?
The most likely explanation is that Sean Bell was out doing his usual weekend carousing with his best friends while his live-in girlfriend was home with his children. Not the most attractive personality and not one that could be used to pry millions from a civil jury - so the situation had to be spun, and spun hard, by Sharpton and the family's other advisers.
Perhaps you think it is a game. I don't find Al Sharpton's antics to be either funny or a game, and when his supporters parrot his party line, I call them on it.
And I'm quite serious about calling them on it, since I find their "reasoning" to be corruptive of civil society.
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