this makes me sick
The worst part about this story is that the one officer reloaded his weapon and fired a total of 31 times - at people who were not firing back at him!! I can understand a policeman returning fire when fired upon, but what I don't get is why these guys kept shooting. Maybe these guys were drunk and beligerent or advancing upon them, only they really know what happened, but this is so excessive. I've fired a gun before and 31 shots is a lot, it's not like these things have a hair trigger or are automatic (or even semi-automatic) weapons. It's totally ridiculous. Guns fucking suck.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A possible last-minute witness emerged as the city anxiously awaited word from a grand jury weighing the case of five police officers who unleashed a 50-bullet barrage that killed an unarmed man on his wedding day, authorities said.
The grand jurors reconvened Thursday after going home late Wednesday without having decided whether any officers should be indicted.
The Queens district attorney's office said a man came forward Wednesday to say he witnessed the shooting and had information about it, office spokesman Kevin Ryan said. It was unclear whether the grand jury would seek information from the person.
The killing of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of his bachelor party guests Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield on November 25 raised questions about police tactics and prompted vigils and protests by civil rights activists.
Bell was black, as are the other victims; three of the officers are black, and two are white.
On Thursday, Detectives' Endowment Association President Michael Palladino called on the district attorney to let the possible new witness testify.
"I don't know where this man came from," Palladino said. "But this guy is a vital piece of information. How they can exclude his testimony is beyond me. The man told detectives that he didn't come forward sooner because he was afraid and overwhelmed."
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has acted as a sort of spokesman for Bell's family, said: "There are always in these kinds of cases very questionable last-minute occurrences and tactics."
The timing of the grand jury's decision was uncertain because the proceedings are private. But city officials were on alert, and extra police officers were on standby in anticipation of the news.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose community outreach program went into overdrive this week as months of grand jury presentations wound down, acknowledged "there will be plenty of people who will disagree no matter what" the decision is.
He said officers would ensure "everybody is as safe on the streets before the grand jury rules as afterward."
Union representatives and lawyers for the officers have said their clients, who were conducting an undercover investigation at a strip club, believed Bell and his friends were going to retrieve a gun from a car after overhearing them argue with another patron. No gun was found.
Guzman, Benefield and Nicole Paultre Bell, who was to marry Bell and legally took his name after his death, joined Sharpton on Wednesday in Harlem, appearing on his radio show while awaiting the grand jury's decision.
"I need justice," said Guzman, who was shot 16 times.
"I'm praying," said Paultre Bell.
Sharpton said Tuesday that "certain levels of protests and visible actions" would likely arise if there were no indictments, but he said he expected those actions to be peaceful.
"Rather than worry if there's going to be violence, I would think they'd be worried about the violence that already occurred," he said in an interview. "Fifty shots is about as violent as you can get."
The officers testified in ascending order, based on the number of bullets they fired.
Detective Paul Headley, who fired one round, and Officer Michael Carey, who fired three, testified first. Officer Marc Cooper fired four shots, and he was followed to the stand by Officer Gescard Isnora, who fired 11 shots. Michael Oliver, who reloaded and fired 31 shots, went last on Friday.
The grand jurors had been instructed to consider several charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide stemming from Bell's death; and attempted murder, assault or reckless endangerment in the wounding of Benefield and Guzman.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A possible last-minute witness emerged as the city anxiously awaited word from a grand jury weighing the case of five police officers who unleashed a 50-bullet barrage that killed an unarmed man on his wedding day, authorities said.
The grand jurors reconvened Thursday after going home late Wednesday without having decided whether any officers should be indicted.
The Queens district attorney's office said a man came forward Wednesday to say he witnessed the shooting and had information about it, office spokesman Kevin Ryan said. It was unclear whether the grand jury would seek information from the person.
The killing of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of his bachelor party guests Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield on November 25 raised questions about police tactics and prompted vigils and protests by civil rights activists.
Bell was black, as are the other victims; three of the officers are black, and two are white.
On Thursday, Detectives' Endowment Association President Michael Palladino called on the district attorney to let the possible new witness testify.
"I don't know where this man came from," Palladino said. "But this guy is a vital piece of information. How they can exclude his testimony is beyond me. The man told detectives that he didn't come forward sooner because he was afraid and overwhelmed."
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has acted as a sort of spokesman for Bell's family, said: "There are always in these kinds of cases very questionable last-minute occurrences and tactics."
The timing of the grand jury's decision was uncertain because the proceedings are private. But city officials were on alert, and extra police officers were on standby in anticipation of the news.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose community outreach program went into overdrive this week as months of grand jury presentations wound down, acknowledged "there will be plenty of people who will disagree no matter what" the decision is.
He said officers would ensure "everybody is as safe on the streets before the grand jury rules as afterward."
Union representatives and lawyers for the officers have said their clients, who were conducting an undercover investigation at a strip club, believed Bell and his friends were going to retrieve a gun from a car after overhearing them argue with another patron. No gun was found.
Guzman, Benefield and Nicole Paultre Bell, who was to marry Bell and legally took his name after his death, joined Sharpton on Wednesday in Harlem, appearing on his radio show while awaiting the grand jury's decision.
"I need justice," said Guzman, who was shot 16 times.
"I'm praying," said Paultre Bell.
Sharpton said Tuesday that "certain levels of protests and visible actions" would likely arise if there were no indictments, but he said he expected those actions to be peaceful.
"Rather than worry if there's going to be violence, I would think they'd be worried about the violence that already occurred," he said in an interview. "Fifty shots is about as violent as you can get."
The officers testified in ascending order, based on the number of bullets they fired.
Detective Paul Headley, who fired one round, and Officer Michael Carey, who fired three, testified first. Officer Marc Cooper fired four shots, and he was followed to the stand by Officer Gescard Isnora, who fired 11 shots. Michael Oliver, who reloaded and fired 31 shots, went last on Friday.
The grand jurors had been instructed to consider several charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide stemming from Bell's death; and attempted murder, assault or reckless endangerment in the wounding of Benefield and Guzman.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.