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posticon Its not enough: Three Officers Indicted In Bell Shooting Plead Not Guilty At Arraignment


Three Officers Indicted In Bell Shooting Plead Not Guilty At Arraignment

March 19, 2007
NY1.com

The three New York City police officers indicted in the Sean Bell shooting pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment at Queens criminal court this afternoon.

Two detectives face up to 25 years in prison for their alleged roles in the shooting death of 23-year-old Bell, the Queens man who was killed on what was to be his wedding day last November.

A judge set bail for Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora at $250,000 bond or $100,000 cash bail. Detective Marc Cooper – who faces lesser charges – was freed without bail.

At a news conference this morning, Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown unsealed an eight-count indictment against three of the five officers involved in the shooting that killed Bell and seriously injured two of his friends.

The three detectives turned themselves in around 7 a.m. this morning to face charges. They were taken to Queens central booking to be fingerprinted and processed ahead of their arraignments.

The indictment charges Oliver, who fired 31 times, and Isnora, an undercover officer who fired the first shot and 11 shots in all, with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in Bell's death.

First-degree manslaughter is intentional manslaughter and is classified as a violent felony with a maximum sentence of twenty-five years in prison if convicted.

Oliver and Isnora are both charged with first-degree assault for seriously injuring Bell's friend Joseph Guzman. In addition, Oliver is charged with first-degree assault and Isnora second-degree assault for seriously wounding Trent Benefield.

Detective Cooper, who fired four shots, faces two counts of reckless endangerment in the second-degree; one for firing an errant bullet that passed through a window of an occupied AirTrain station. He faces up to one year in prison if convicted.

All three detectives also face second-degree reckless endangerment charges in connection with the incident for firing their weapons multiple times while other people were present on the street.

The eighth count of the indictment charges Detective Oliver with reckless endangerment in the second degree for firing a bullet that passed through the window of an occupied residence during the shooting.

Grand jurors declined to indict on the more serious counts of second-degree murder, and attempted murder, or the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.

D.A. Brown said he would not reveal much about the grand jury proceedings, because he didn’t want to impact the trial to come. The grand jury deliberated for three days after spending 22 days interviewing over 100 witnesses and examining about 500 exhibits.

“This case is going to be tried in a courtroom. And all of the facts, everything that occurred at 4:15 in the morning on the morning of November 25th on Liverpool Street in South Jamaica will be presented to a petit jury,” said Brown. “And folks are just going to have to make up their own minds after they hear all of the evidence on both sides of this issue. And hopefully the result will be one that makes most fair-minded individuals happy.”

All three detectives were arraigned around 2:30 this afternoon in Queens. They have been suspended without pay.

The Reverend Al Sharpton held a news conference at his National Action Network Headquarters in Harlem following the unsealing of the indictments, with Bell's fiancée Nicole Paultre-Bell, and Bell's friends Guzman and Benefield.

"This case, at its best, is a return to grief for all of those involved," said Sharpton.

The reverend said he was not satisfied with the eight-count indictment, and that the Bell family had hoped for more severe charges of murder and attempted murder. He also said that all five officers involved in the shooting should have been brought up on charges.

Officers Mike Carey and Paul Headley, the two other officers who fired at Bell's car that night, were not charged.

Sharpton accused police union officials of attempting to silence debate and said Guzman, Benefield, Nicole Paultre-Bell, and their families are preparing themselves for the tough road ahead.

"We know that they will try to castigate Joe Guzman. We know they will try to castigate Trent Benefield. We know they will even try to disrespect and castigate the memory of Sean Bell,” said Sharpton. “Nicole is being prepared for that; the parents are prepared for that; the community is prepared for that, but they did nothing but go to a bachelor party and went and got in a car and became the victims of a crime."

The reverend also said the Bell family, as well as Guzman and Benefield, will oppose any attempt to move the trial out of Queens. District Attorney Brown also said he would oppose any request for a change of venue.

“We will not, let me repeat, we will not participate, attend or cooperate with a trial outside of Queens County, because we will not have this kind of insult receive our participation,” said Sharpton. “Had these policeman questioned the public attention and the public sentiment before using the grand jury, including an unprecedented surprise witness, one could look at this objectively, but they had far more use of the grand jury than any of the victims.”

D.A. Brown also said he would oppose any request for a change of venue.

In a statement released today, Mayor Michael commended the grand jury on reaching a decision and said, "We have to respect the result of our justice system... Nothing anyone can do will bring back Sean Bell. But we can resolve to learn what lessons we can from this tragedy."

Bell, 23, was killed outside Club Kalua in Jamaica, Queens, in the early-morning hours of November 25th, when undercover police officers fired 50 shots into his car after it allegedly struck an unmarked police van.

The officers also said that they believed someone in Bell's car was reaching for a gun when they opened fire. The three men were found to be unarmed.

Bell was to have been married later that day.

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