Three New York Officers Under Trial For Shooting Of Unarmed Man
The trial against three New York officers who allegedly shot an unarmed man began this week. The victim was to be married the day he was shot in what the prosecutor – Charles Testagrossa calls “a tale of carelessness verging on incompetence.” The Queens State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Cooperman will be hearing the case without the presence of a jury.
The shooting of Sean Bell - 23 and father of two - outside a Queens club early on Nov. 25, 2006 - sparked outrage in New York, particularly among African Americans. He was driving away from the club with friends at the end of his bachelor party when police opened fire. Two of Bell’s friends were wounded but recovered.
Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora did most of the shooting - 41 shots between them - and are charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. Detective Marc Cooper is charged with endangerment, a lesser charge.
Attorneys for all three said in opening statements this morning that they acted reasonably given the information they had about the men they were trying to stop - that Bell or one or his friends had a gun.