Verdict In in Sean Bell case

[sciencegirl]

:shock: Police officers have been found Not Guilty in the murder of Shawn Bell; who was killed only hours before his wedding.

Just breaking on Fox News. No link available yet.

Over 1,000 police officers are on Stand-by in New York. So far, no violence is being reported.

[LiveLaughLuv]

I can only foresee some protests going on with Rev. Al Sharpton at the helm of it.

Last night the authorities were asking for peace no matter what the verdict.

[sciencegirl]

I can only foresee some protests going on with Rev. Al Sharpton at the helm of it.

Last night the authorities were asking for peace no matter what the verdict.

Al Sharpton was there this morning to escort Sawn Bell's fiance' into the courtroom for the verdict. :eyebrow1qb: He sure does inject himself into high profile cases; doesn't he?

[sciencegirl]

Sorry; I mispelled Sean's first name. It is Sean, not Shawn.:0doh:

[LiveLaughLuv]

He sure does!

I also take offense to Bell's fiance using his last name, they never were married!

I know it may sound insensitive, but those officers were doing what they were trained to do when they felt their lives were in danger. Also none of these guys are angels and were drunk/boisterous at the time of this shooting. Only when you are in this situation, do you know what you would do.

Only this time Sharpton can't play the race card, one officer was black another spanish, so has nothing to do with race and more to do with the safety of these officers. They intentionally rammed their van into the officers car and did not stop when told to.

Sorry, but they should've obeyed the law....:0009:

[sciencegirl]

Here's the link on the Verdict

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/nyregion/26BELL.html?ref=nyregion

[LiveLaughLuv]

The defense, through weeks of often heated cross-examinations, their own witnesses and the words of the detectives themselves, portrayed the shooting as the tragic end to a nonetheless justified confrontation, with Detective Isnora having what it called solid reasons to believe he was the only thing standing between Mr. Bell’s car and a drive-by shooting around the corner.

Several witnesses testified that they heard talk of guns in an argument between Mr. Bell and a stranger, Fabio Coicou, outside Kalua, an argument, the defense claimed, that was fueled by bravado and Mr. Bell’s intoxicated state. Defense lawyers pointed their fingers at Mr. Guzman, who, they said, in shouting for Mr. Bell to drive away when Detective Isnora approached, may have instigated his death.

Detective Isnora told grand jurors last year that he clipped his badge to his collar and drew his gun, shouting, “Police! Don’t move!” as he approached Mr. Bell’s Nissan Altima.


Goes to show you the respect these guys held for the police.

They also were lying when they said they didn't know they were police officers. I'm just very glad the judge saw through this and knows what an officer faces everyday. As we run from danger the PD runs to danger. These officers had to make a split second decision, to stay alive and take out what they perceived as an attack on them.

When told DON'T MOVE, they should have listened!

Seems to me there is not enough respect for police these days.

[Grande]

NYPD Officers Acquitted of All Counts in 50-Shot Barrage That Killed Groom-to-Be
Friday, April 25, 2008
AP

NEW YORK — Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the 50-shot killing of an unarmed man on his wedding day after a trial that that put the NYPD at the center of another highly charged case involving allegations of excessive firepower.

Justice Arthur Cooperman delivered the verdict in a Queens courtroom packed with spectators, including victim Sean Bell's fiancee and parents, as hundreds of people gathered outside the building behind metal police barricades.

The verdict provoked an outpouring of emotions: Bell's fiancee immediately walked out of the room, and his mother wept. Officer Michael Oliver, who fired the most shots, also cried.

Outside the courthouse, which was protected by scores of police officers, many in the crowd began weeping. Others were enraged, swearing and screaming "Murderers! Murderers!" or "KKK!"

Before announcing the verdict, the judge read a statement saying the police officers' version of events was more credible than that of the victims.

"The people have not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that each defendant was not justified" in shooting the victims, Cooperman said.

About the accounts offered by prosecution witnesses, he said, "At times the testimony just didn't make sense."

Bell, a 23-year-old black man, was killed in a hail of gunfire outside a seedy strip club in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006 — his wedding day — as he was leaving his bachelor party with two friends.

Oliver, 36, and Gescard Isnora, 29, were charged with manslaughter while Officer Marc Cooper, 40, was accused only of reckless endangerment. Two other shooters weren't charged. Oliver squeezed off 31 shots; Isnora fired 11 rounds; and Cooper shot four times.

A conviction on manslaughter could have brought up to 25 years in prison.

The verdict does not completely resolve issues surrounding the case. The federal government has been monitoring the trial and could bring its own case, though that's considered unlikely.

Relatives of the victims have sued the city, and those cases could either go to trial or be settled out of court with the potential of multimillion-dollar payouts.

The officers, who were taken off undercover duty and put on paid leave, also face possible administrative charges that could result in their dismissal.

While the judge found that the officers' response was not criminal, he added, "Questions of carelessness and incompetence must be left to other forums."

The case brought back painful memories of other NYPD shootings, such as the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo — an African immigrant who was gunned down in a hail of 41 bullets by police officers who mistook his wallet for a gun. The acquittal of the officers in that case created a storm of protest, with hundreds arrested after taking to the streets in demonstration.

The mood surrounding this case had been muted by comparison, although Bell's fiancee, parents and their supporters, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, have held rallies demanding that the officers — two of whom are black — be held accountable.

The officers, complaining that pretrial publicity had unfairly painted them as cold-blooded killers, opted to have the judge decide the case rather than a jury.

When the acquittals were announced, some people in the emotional crowd outside the courthouse scuffled with police. Bell's family and friends left the courthouse together and drove to the Long Island cemetery where the young man was buried. Sharpton planned to discuss the case later Friday on his radio show.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly acknowledged that some people were disappointed with the acquittals. "We don't anticipate violence, but we are prepared for any contingency," he said.

The nearly two-month trial was marked by deeply divergent accounts on the part of defense lawyers and prosecutors.

The defense painted the victims as drunken thugs who the officers believed were armed and dangerous. Prosecutors sought to convince the judge that the victims had been minding their own business, and that the officers were inept, trigger-happy cowboys.

In his closing arguments, prosecutor Charles Testagrossa alluded to the starkly different views of the shooting.

"If you are a police officer or sympathetic to police officers, the defendants are tragic heroes and the victims are thugs," he said. "If you are friends of the victims, then the defendants are murderers."

None of the officers took the witness stand in his own defense.

Instead, Cooperman heard transcripts of the officers testifying before a grand jury, saying they believed they had good reason to use deadly force. The judge also heard testimony from Bell's two injured companions, who insisted the maelstrom erupted without warning.

"It happened so quick," Isnora in his grand jury testimony. "It was like the last thing I ever wanted to do."

Bell's companions — Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman — also offered dramatic testimony about the episode. Benefield and Guzman were both wounded; Guzman still has four bullets lodged in his body.

Referring to Isnora, Guzman said, "This dude is shooting like he's crazy, like he's out of his mind."

The judge was clearly not swayed by the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses, citing their inconsistent statements, criminal records and "demeanor on the witness stand."

The tragedy unfolded outside the Kalua Cabaret, where the undercover officers were investigating reports of prostitution the night of Bell's boozy party.

As the club closed around 4 a.m., Sanchez and Isnora claimed they overheard Bell and his friends taunt a stranger, who responded by putting his right hand in his pocket as if he had a gun. Guzman, they testified, said, "Yo, go get my gun" — something Bell's friends denied.

Isnora said he decided to arm himself, call for backup and tail Bell, Guzman and Benefield as they went around the corner and got into Bell's car.

He claimed that after warning the men to halt, Bell pulled away, bumped him and rammed an unmarked police van that converged on the scene with Oliver at the wheel.

He said Guzman made a sudden move as if he were reaching for a gun.

Benefield and Guzman testified that there were no orders. Instead, Guzman said, Isnora "appeared out of nowhere" with a gun drawn and shot him in the shoulder — the first of 16 shots to enter his body.

With tires screeching, glass breaking and bullets flying, the officers claimed that they believed they were the ones under fire. Oliver responded by emptying his semiautomatic pistol, reloading, and emptying it again.

The truth emerged when the smoke cleared: There was no weapon inside Bell's blood-splattered car.

In closing arguments, defense attorneys accused prosecutors of building their case on the unreliable testimony of Bell's friends. They noted that Guzman and Benefield both have criminal records and $50 million lawsuits against the city.

The pair were part of "a parade of convicted felons, crack dealers and men who were not strangers to weapons," said James Culleton, Oliver's attorney.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352566,00.html

[Tracian]

I listened to the defense attorney this morning of Jamie Floyd, while tragic, this case was not about race, even though some tried to make it so.

[LiveLaughLuv]

This isn't going to be the last you hear of this case. There will be a civil lawsuit, I'm sure. The Bell family wants to hold someone accountable for their son's death. The friends who were with Bell were impeached on the stand, they held no credibility. Lied their arses off but the judge saw through that.

There will be some departmental repurcussions here, but these officers didn't not commit a crime. Their lives were in danger and they are trained to eliminate the danger.

If you take the mindset of these men, who were out looking for problems, being drunk and disorderly, these officers did what they were trained to do.

I'm sorry a mother/father lost a son, a fiance lost her boyfriend and a daughter lost her father but he was responsible for his actions.

He should have listened to the officers when they were told not to move.

[Roamer]

The officers were visibly upset on the news last night, and gave condolences to Bell's family.

I think a civil suit is pending, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some violence in protest of the verdict.

Why do people make a race issue out of everything? Black, white or purple, the men were in the wrong and police responded as they were trained to do.

[LiveLaughLuv]

I saw that too Roamer.

The officers must live with the fact, they took a life. It will haunt them for the rest of their days. They could not apologize while this case was going on, it would have showed they did something out of line. I'm glad they did finally apologize, not that it matters to the Bell family.

The Bell family/friends feel this was over the top. They also mentioned something about a civil rights lawsuit. Also glad there were not outbursts of violence after the verdict was given. It was also very dramatic when they went to the gravesite, to tell Bell they will not stop, they will get justice for their son.

Sharpton is not done with this.

[LiveLaughLuv]

http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream3

Watch Rev. Incite a Riot speak on verdict!

[LiveLaughLuv]

From Deborah Feyerick
CNN


NEW YORK (CNN) -- Nicole Paultre Bell bolted from the courtroom Friday as a judge acquitted three New York City detectives of all charges in the shooting death of her fiance.


Nicole Paultre Bell is helped from court Friday as the judge acquits officers charged in the death of her fiance.

"I've got to get out of here," Paultre Bell said.

Justice Arthur Cooperman was announcing the verdict clearing Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell.

Detective Marc Cooper was cleared of reckless endangerment.

"What we saw in court today was not a miscarriage of justice," the Rev. Al Sharpton said on his radio program.

"Justice didn't miscarry," he said. "This was an abortion of justice. Justice was aborted."

Sharpton, who has been advising Bell's family, had called for calm Wednesday.

Bell, 23, died in November 2006 in a 50-bullet barrage -- 31 fired by Oliver -- hours before he was to be married. Two of his companions were wounded in the gunfire outside a Queens nightclub.

Alexander Jason, an expert witness for the defense, produced a video demonstrating how quickly Oliver could have fired off 31 rounds, including a pause to reload.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/25/sean.bell.trial/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[spike404]

"...Sharpton, who has been advising Bell's family,..."

Advising? I thought men of the cloth were supposed to give comfort and support.

[TobyTiger]

SLAIN GROOM'S FAMILY VOWS TO FIGHT IN COURT (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24326126/)

NEW YORK - The family of an unarmed man killed in a hail of police gunfire on his wedding day pledged Saturday to continue its fight to have someone held accountable for his death, a day after a judge acquitted three officers in the slaying.

"I'm still praying for justice, because it's not over. It's far from over. It's just starting," Sean Bell's fiancée, Nicole Paultre Bell, told supporters at a rally in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood. "Every protest, every march, every rally, I'm going to be right up front."

Bell, 23, was killed and two friends wounded in a 50-shot barrage outside a Queens strip club hours before his wedding.

Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives.

"We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."

He joined Bell's family in the 20-block march 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"

more at the link

[Roamer]

http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0408/514773.html

Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals posted 5:23 pm Sat April 26, 2008 - NEW YORK

Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends. "We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."


Sharpton was joined by the family of 23-year-old Sean Bell - a black man - and a friend of Bell who was wounded in the 2006 shooting outside a Queens strip club. Two of the three officers charged were also black.

The rally at Sharpton's office was followed by a 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"

Fifty of the marchers carried white placards bearing big black numbers for each of the police bullets fired at Bell and his friends.

Sharpton urged people to return for a meeting this coming week "to plan the day that we will close this city down" with the kind of "massive civil disobedience" once led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"They never accused Sean Bell of doing anything. Then why is he dead?" Sharpton asked, his voice roaring with anger. Authorities "have shown now that they will not hold police accountable. Well, guess what? If you won't, we will!"

"Shut it down! Shut it down!" the crowd chanted, standing up and applauding wildly.

Sharpton didn't say exactly how they would protest the acquittals of the officers who fired the 50 shots. He said Bell's supporters could demonstrate all over the city, from Wall Street to the home of Justice Arthur Cooperman, who on Friday acquitted the three detectives after a nonjury trial.

Sitting behind Sharpton as he spoke were Bell's parents, his sister and Nicole Paultre Bell, who took her fiance's name after his death.

"The justice system let me down," Paultre Bell told the crowd in a soft voice. "April 25, 2008: They killed Sean all over again. That's what it felt like to us."

It was her first public comment since she stormed out of a courtroom Friday after the NYPD detectives were cleared in Bell's killing as he left his bachelor party.

One of Bell's companions, Joseph Guzman, also spoke briefly on Saturday, saying: "We've got a long fight."

[TigressPen]

I have nothing against Al Sharpton but it sure sounds like his words 'Close this city down' is inciting a riot to me. And that is illegal!!

[Roamer]

My problem is that he always shows up in high profile cases, instead of the hundreds of others that need attention.

I have no doubt he's trying to incite some rioting, and I also think he'll be asking a lot of city workers not to do their jobs. With the size of New York, that could hurt a lot.

[TigressPen]

My problem is that he always shows up in high profile cases, instead of the hundreds of others that need attention.

I have no doubt he's trying to incite some rioting, and I also think he'll be asking a lot of city workers not to do their jobs. With the size of New York, that could hurt a lot.



I agree. Maybe if they arrested him for inciting a riot instead of waiting for it to happen and then having to deal with more violence and innocent victims being hurt, then he'd Know that justice he screams for. MLK wanted peaceful resolutions and marches and not civil disobedience and violence.

[LiveLaughLuv]

I knew this wasn't the last you heard of Sharpton. He interjects himself in high profile cases to garner attention. He really needs to be jailed, but it won't do any good. He'll use it against the people who arrested him. Last time he was jailed, he went on a food strike, not eating at all for a couple of weeks, IIRC....over the Vieques bombings in Puerto Rico. Sharpton on hunger strike (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E6D6153CF93AA15756C0A9679C8B 63)

This is a Reverend, a man of the cloth, instead of inciting riots he should be telling the family to go the legal way. Noooooo, he needs to make a statement and go over the top with it. I can't stand that man! I don't know how he has escaped assasination up till now.

If he manages to close down this city, it will no doubt be hurting bad. If that happens then I would suggest that Mayor Bloomberg get him to pay for whatever damage he causes. Maybe hit that man in his pockets is the only way to go. I don't know how his wife puts up with him!

[Roamer]

People like Al Sharpton only continue to divide the races, IMO. If a black policeman had shot a white groom-to-be, I really don't think this would be happening.

He, and others like him, convince people they are being discriminated against and should do things like this to show that. What does it help? What does it prove?

That there is still a racial divide in this country that we all need to address, not just these "ministers" who think they have all the answers.

Perhaps they should think back to Dr. King and his no violence stands. People of all races respected him, and things changed because of him.

[LiveLaughLuv]

Yesterday I was walking to the store. This black man stated if that were a white boy who was shot by a black cop you damn well know that black cop would have lost his badge. HUH!

Did he know that two of those officers were black? I started to say something when my son looked at me and said, ma, say nothing. I know what you're thinking but you can't fight ignorance. I got so angry that this ignorant man seemed not to know all the facts. Making it white against black just takes us back 400 years.

When will they just look at the mindset of these drunken, disrespectful men and the mindset of the police who saw this as a threat. Sure, maybe it was over the top, which is why there is a civil rights investigation happening. I don't agree with 51 shots being fired, but the officers perceived this as a threat. When you think about it, the cops were assaulted when Bell rammed his car into theirs. That is when they acted, when they id'd themselves as police officers and said do not move. Those same guys were also impeached on the stand, they lied their asses off, just to make it look like this was something else. They were wrong and Bells parents should admit to his wrong doing with focusing on why the officers felt it necessary to reload and fire more.

They weren't present and neither were any of us. Judgement calls are made everyday, this was just that, sorry it ended with a loss of life, but what would they say if it were the other way around, what if Bell succeeded in killing one of the officers. Would they be calling for civil disobedience then?

[Roamer]

I agree that when he rammed the police car, things changed, and the officers were under assault. At that time, they had a fast decision to make, and they made it.

Police officers are not gods. They're people who react just like civilains when under attack, but this is their training. We want them to put their lives on the line every day, but it seems like we want them to stop and say, "Oh, wait, this guy is black/hispanic/middle eastern.... maybe we shouldn't shoot him, just let him attack us?" I think not.

IMO, in that split second of indecision, they could have been dead.

Overkill with 51 shots, yes. But maybe that's also part of the training. Shoot until the suspect is down, and isn't going to get up and attack you.

[LiveLaughLuv]

He joined Bell's family in the 20-block march 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"

Very nice message they are sending out.

If I were a police officer, if I got a call to help someone in that area, I wouldn't respond! The police have a difficult job and put their lives on the line daily to help someone in trouble.

[LiveLaughLuv]

Overkill with 51 shots, yes. But maybe that's also part of the training. Shoot until the suspect is down, and isn't going to get up and attack you.

Yes, I asked my DIL who is a NYPD officer. She told me that they are trained to eliminate what they perceive a threat. If they are assaulted in any way, shape or form, they are trained to kill.

[spike404]

Bell's fiancee' (?) is now going by the last name of, Bell. I wonder if the kid they had together now goes by Bell? What a sham!

[Roamer]

Maybe she thinks she'll get more publicity and sympathy if she uses his name, even though they never got married.

[LiveLaughLuv]

Bell's fiancee' (?) is now going by the last name of, Bell. I wonder if the kid they had together now goes by Bell? What a sham!


I too find that offensive, Spike. Never married so how is she pulling this off. Unless, Reverend Incite a Riot married them posthumously! :rolleye0001:

[LiveLaughLuv]

PROTESTERS TARGET BRIDGES, TUNNELS
Post Staff Report
Sean Bell's fiance, Nicole, stands with Sharpton.Sean Bell Supporters Arrested Sean Bell's fiancee, the Rev. Al Sharpton and scores of his supporters were arrested during their city wide protest of his shooting death.
May 7, 2008 --

Sean Bell's fiancée, her mother and the Rev. Al Sharpton were arrested today along with dozens of demonstrators who blocked traffic throughout Manhattan to protest the acquittals of three police officers in the fatal shooting of an unarmed groom just hours before his wedding.

Amid cries for justice and pleas for peace, Bell's family friends and supporters were cuffed and carted into waiting police wagons after they blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge in the shadows of City Hall and Police Headquarters.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05072008/news/regionalnews/police_brace_for_sean_bell_protests_109834.htm

Sharpton has vowed to shut the city down. He wants justice for the officers found not guilty. He and his merry band of protesters took to bridges and tunnels in and around NYC.

The judge ruled, there was nothing criminal that those officers did. Rev just doesn't get that. I think he should leave this in the hands of the civil rights investigations, let them do their investigations. I do feel the police over reacted but what they did was not criminal. It was the police officers lives on the line and they chose to eliminate what they perceived as the enemy, as they are taught!

I hear Governor Paterson will be meeting with Rev. Al, sometime today. Rev. Al also has a press conference scheduled for about 10:30am today!

[TigressPen]

Sharpton arrested as hundreds protest NYC police shooting


NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton was arrested at the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday as he and hundreds of demonstrators blocked traffic to protest the acquittal of three detectives in the 50-bullet shooting of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.


Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee were among about a dozen people arrested on disorderly conduct charges near the base of the bridge. Police led away demonstrators at several other bridges and tunnels in the city.

The protests were part of a coordinated campaign to urge federal authorities to investigate the November 2006 shooting of Sean Bell. Three officers were acquitted of state charges last month.

Sharpton, shooting survivors Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police put plastic handcuffs on them. Sharpton and Bell were placed in a police vehicle.

The civil rights leader is seeking a federal civil rights probe into Bell's shooting outside a Queens nightclub. The case raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority neighborhoods.

Sharpton had promised recently to "close this city down" with civil disobedience.

Bell was black, as are his friends Benefield and Guzman; the three officers acquitted in the case are Hispanic, black and white.

U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but he declined to comment further.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/NEWS01/805070398/0/SPORTS02

[TigressPen]

Sharpton arrested as hundreds protest NYC police shooting


NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton was arrested at the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday as he and hundreds of demonstrators blocked traffic to protest the acquittal of three detectives in the 50-bullet shooting of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.


Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee were among about a dozen people arrested on disorderly conduct charges near the base of the bridge. Police led away demonstrators at several other bridges and tunnels in the city.

The protests were part of a coordinated campaign to urge federal authorities to investigate the November 2006 shooting of Sean Bell. Three officers were acquitted of state charges last month.

Sharpton, shooting survivors Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police put plastic handcuffs on them. Sharpton and Bell were placed in a police vehicle.

The civil rights leader is seeking a federal civil rights probe into Bell's shooting outside a Queens nightclub. The case raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority neighborhoods.

Sharpton had promised recently to "close this city down" with civil disobedience.

Bell was black, as are his friends Benefield and Guzman; the three officers acquitted in the case are Hispanic, black and white.

U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but he declined to comment further.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/a...398/0/SPORTS02

[Roenick]

I've not followed this case especially since Sharpton got involved.

51 bullets divided by 3 suspects and 3 officers = not quite 6 bullets each. Now I know it says that 1 officer shot over 30 of them but that is what they're taught to do.
Officers have feelings too. It's not like they have a score board and notch out their kills. Some officers really fall after a shooting.

As hard as it would be to lose a child or finance' - I hope this family doesn't get a dime. All these people who get killed by an officer in a shooting (mostly because they failed to obey) are now some how worth millions? Please!


I believe playing the race card only perpetuates discrimination. If we were still extremely high racially discriminatory society, I'd think that Al Sharpton and even Jesse Jackson would have been assassinated by now. They rock the boat of race quite often. I know the it's out there and don't pretend it is not, but most of the times when things like this happen it has nothing to do with race at a whole. Stereotyping where a person lives and how they dress, drive, talk and act can be racial but anyone can live in the 'ghetto'. It's not hard to stop if you are not guilty of something when an officer tells you too.

[LiveLaughLuv]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/05/08/bts.al.sharpton.released.wabc?iref=mpvideosview

Al Sharpton released 2:23
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Nicole Paultre were released after their arrest during a citywide protest march.

[SaberGal]

I've not followed this case especially since Sharpton got involved.

51 bullets divided by 3 suspects and 3 officers = not quite 6 bullets each. Now I know it says that 1 officer shot over 30 of them but that is what they're taught to do.
Officers have feelings too. It's not like they have a score board and notch out their kills. Some officers really fall after a shooting.

As hard as it would be to lose a child or finance' - I hope this family doesn't get a dime. All these people who get killed by an officer in a shooting (mostly because they failed to obey) are now some how worth millions? Please!


I believe playing the race card only perpetuates discrimination. If we were still extremely high racially discriminatory society, I'd think that Al Sharpton and even Jesse Jackson would have been assassinated by now. They rock the boat of race quite often. I know the it's out there and don't pretend it is not, but most of the times when things like this happen it has nothing to do with race at a whole. Stereotyping where a person lives and how they dress, drive, talk and act can be racial but anyone can live in the 'ghetto'. It's not hard to stop if you are not guilty of something when an officer tells you too.

I am no Sharpton fan by any means and I didn't follow this case extremely closely but I do know a little about it.

I do know that all the bullets came from the officers weapons and that all 3 men shot, including Bell, were unarmed. One of the guys shot was hit 19 times! Police officers are not trained to shoot unarmed people. The officers claim that a 4th man was seen leaving with a gun. However immediately after the shooting, they made no efforts to apprehend or even mentioned this 4th suspect. This "4th suspect" scenario sounds like an attempt to cover up a bad shooting, IMO. There have been conflicting accounts as to whether these undercover cops identified themselves as cops prior opening fire.

In any case, just because someone carries a badge, that should not give them a pass at shooting and killing unarmed people. Why is it that people hold cops to a different standard than regular civilians? What would happen to us if we shot and killed an unarmed person - a cop even? It wouldn't matter a hill of beans what our frame of mind was at the time. We'd be strapped to the gurney. So why do cops get a pass?

JMHO

[johnielee333]

I am no Sharpton fan by any means and I didn't follow this case extremely closely but I do know a little about it.

I do know that all the bullets came from the officers weapons and that all 3 men shot, including Bell, were unarmed. One of the guys shot was hit 19 times! Police officers are not trained to shoot unarmed people. The officers claim that a 4th man was seen leaving with a gun. However immediately after the shooting, they made no efforts to apprehend or even mentioned this 4th suspect. This "4th suspect" scenario sounds like an attempt to cover up a bad shooting, IMO. There have been conflicting accounts as to whether these undercover cops identified themselves as cops prior opening fire.

In any case, just because someone carries a badge, that should not give them a pass at shooting and killing unarmed people. Why is it that people hold cops to a different standard than regular civilians? What would happen to us if we shot and killed an unarmed person - a cop even? It wouldn't matter a hill of beans what our frame of mind was at the time. We'd be strapped to the gurney. So why do cops get a pass?

JMHO

i agree. i believe the cops over reacted big time. i could see maybe firing off a couple bullets BUT 50 is way to many. they didnt even see any guns in the guys(victims) hands. all they did, is think they were going for guns. the guys(victims) were probably scared to death & just freaked out & wanted to get the he!! out of there. i believe the cops should of been found guilty of something & lost their jobs. what they did IMO was uncalled for. they could of handled it in a better way. cops are trianed to shoot to stop someone NOT trained to shoot to kill them. shooting off 50 rounds, is to me,way too many. to me, they were trying to kill them. i think cops get away with too much.
this of course is JMO.

[TigressPen]

I stand behind the judicial system in this and not behind Al Sharpton. I hope he got more than a fine and is charged with inciting a riot. He obviously wasn't being honest when he said it was orderly disobedience, because according to the article some of the protestors were charged with disorderly conduct.

[LiveLaughLuv]

What they are failing to let you know is, Sean Bell when told, police, stop, he rammed his vehicle into the undercover officers vehicle. At that point, the police are under attack. Someone yelled he's got a gun, that's when the barrage of bullets hit. I agree it was an over reaction on the officers part, but they did nothing criminal! As the judge also saw. The officers are guilty of trying not to die that day! None of those guys were angels, all had records and probably had attitude being all drunk and disorderly.

Sharpton should have let the civil liberties union handle the rest. If there was a civil rights violation, the officers will be reprimanded or whatever it is that they do.

Governor Paterson also stands by the decision the officers made that day. It was not criminal!

Sharpton should be charged for inciting riots, how dare he place those people in danger while standing on a bridge or tunnel, where the cars are at a standstill due to him and his party. So instead of hurting the city, he's hurting the people of the city with traffic being stopped.

Nice guy, Al Sharpton, eh! :rolleye0001:

[LiveLaughLuv]

May 8, 2008 8:45 pm

N.Y. Gov., Sharpton Hold Meeting On Sean Bell Case


NEW YORK (CBS) ― The Rev. Al Sharpton and relatives of an unarmed black man killed by undercover detectives in a 50-bullet barrage met privately with Gov. David Paterson at his offices on the East Side on Thursday afternoon to talk about the case.

They were there to press the governor for a state law requiring independent prosecutors to investigate police shootings.

Surrounded by members of the Sean Bell family and Sharpton, the governor praised the demonstrators in Wednesday's acts of massive civil disobedience around the city.

Paterson said he understood the activists' frustrations, but stopped short of endorsing their actions in the wake of Bell's death.

"No civil servant can condone civil disobedience," Paterson said, but he added: "They felt that they had no other choice but to take the action that they took, and I respect the decision that they made to take that action."

The governor's involvement was a measure of the emotion and unrelenting attention surrounding the shooting of Bell, who was gunned down hours before he was to be married in November 2006.

The meeting comes a day after Sharpton and more than 200 demonstrators were arrested during citywide protests against the acquittals of the officers on state charges. On Thursday, Sharpton addressed the media before meeting with the governor, highlighting certain developments that are empowering their civil disobedience cause.

"Contrary to what a lot of the police unions are saying around the country, and in New York, there is a strong sense of outrage in many communities," said Sharpton.

This outrage, which has prompted action from Sharpton and Sean Bell supporters across New York City, has drawn the attention of people in high places.
http://cbs2chicago.com/national/Paterson.Sharpton.Bell.2.719741.html

[LiveLaughLuv]

Tuesday, May 20, 2008


NEW YORK — Seven police officers were hit on Tuesday with disciplinary charges in the 50-shot slaying of an unarmed groom-to-be on his wedding day — a case that has sparked protests and raised questions about police firepower.

If found guilty at an internal trial, the officers — including three shooters acquitted last month at a criminal trial and their supervisor — could be fired. A union official said Tuesday that they would fight the allegations.

Police officials described the move as procedural, citing administrative guidelines requiring them to bring charges against officers within 18 months of the incident.

The New York Police Department could take "further administrative steps" once the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn completes a review of the case, said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne. Federal prosecutors have declined to discuss possible civil rights charges.

Sean Bell, 23, died in a hail of 50 bullets on Nov. 25, 2006 around the corner from a Queens topless bar where he had a bachelor party and where undercover police were investigating complaints of prostitution. Two of his friends were seriously wounded.

At a two-month trial in Queens, detectives Gescard Isnora, Michael Oliver and Marc Cooper said they opened fire on Bell's car because they believed he and his friends were armed, and because they defied orders to halt and tried to drive away. No weapon was recovered.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356791,00.html