Do Something | Cops Acquitted in Sean Bell Case

Cops Acquitted in Sean Bell Case

Posted by: vmartir
Date: Fri, 2008-04-25 15:16

Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the 50-shot killing of unarmed groom-to-be Sean Bell on his wedding day. The detectives, including one who squeezed off 31 shots, opted to have the judge decide the case rather than a jury, complaining that pretrial publicity had unfairly painted them as cold-blooded killers. The judge, Justice Arthur Cooperman, who presided over the nearly two-month trial, said, "The people have not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that each defendant was not justified.” 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.

What do you think? Did the officers get away with murder? Or were their actions justified?

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