Sean Bell was a black man killed November 25, 2006 just a few hours before his wedding in New York City, USA.. He was the father of two children and he was shot while celebrating with friends the night just before his wedding.
Sean Bell, a 23-year-old black man was killed on November 25th 2006, when when five undercover police officers fired 50 shots at a car carrying him and two friends. Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield survived the shooting but remained hospitalized for a long time. None of the victims were armed. The killing, which occurred on the very day Bell was to be married to his high school sweetheart, provoked a barrage of criticism and community outrage.
In what marked the end of one of the most high-profile police-involved shooting trials in New York City history, a judge on Friday 25th April 2008 acquitted three NYPD (New York Police Department) detectives of all charges in his shooting and death.
Defense attorneys had said there was evidence that Bell was drunk and "out of control" when he left the club. Witnesses overheard Bell exchange curses with another customer, and heard one of the passengers in the car, Joseph Guzman, who was also shot, say to someone, "Go get my gat" (slang for gun). They had also argued Bell had tried to run over Isnora, one of the policemen involved, with his car.
Investigators found no gun at the scene.
Prosecutors argued that Oliver would have found there was no threat if he had "paused to reassess" while firing the 31 shots. They said that Cooper fired wildly, with one of his shots even hitting an elevated airport train station. And they alleged that Isnora failed to display his badge in a clearly visible manner and wait for backup, and gave contradictory orders to Bell and his friends.
The three detectives were found not guilty on Friday 25th April on all charges in the shooting death of Sean Bell, who died in a hail of 50 police bullets.
The verdict prompted calls for calm from the mayor, angry promises of protests by those speaking for the Bell family and expressions of relief by the detectives.
One of the family's supporter, Bishop Lester Williams, who is close with the Bell family, said he felt "defeated" by the verdict.
"The decision was very unfair. I don't know what to do at this point," he said. "We are hurt, we are deeply wounded with what's taken place. We will continue to pray, to have faith. This is not the end. This is just a verdict. We still have to live together."
Anguish poured into the streets of New York Saturday as hundreds of protesters expressed anger at Friday's acquittal of the three police officers
You can watch a full report and analysis by MSNBC underneath.
Here are some very emotiona l reactions by New Yorkers
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