NEW YORK - A grand jury reached a decision Friday on whether to bring charges against five police officers who unleashed a 50-bullet barrage that killed a man on his wedding day. But a tense city will have to wait until Monday to hear it.
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News of the decision came after three days of deliberations that included the emergence of a last-minute witness who testified Thursday.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown scheduled an announcement for Monday on the grand jury's decision.
"Until such time, the results of the grand jury's deliberations remained sealed as a matter of law," the district attorney's office said.
The shooting stirred outrage around New York City and led to accusations of racism against police. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who were wounded in the shooting. Two of the officers are white, and three are black.
are the other 3 black officers racist too ?
The Rev. Al Sharpton said the charges marked an important first step in the fight for justice in the case
can you say lawsuit ?
Anticipation has been running high around New York City about the grand jury's decision. Extra police officers were put on standby, and the mayor met with black leaders in the Queens neighborhood where shooting occurred in hopes of defusing any tensions that might arise from the decision.
translation = we need scape goats so they don't burn the city down
Posted by: HousingCop
This just means the Grand Jury didn't indict the officers. Can you imagine if they dropped the word on Friday over a long St Pats Day weekend? We can only be thankful that it's cold & snowy in NYC for the next couple of days. If it were July, the nozzleheads would have their hands full and the mourge would be at 200% capacity.
Posted by: kwflatbed
Grand jury indicts 3 in NYPD shooting
NEW YORK - Three of the five policemen whose 50-bullet barrage killed an unarmed man on his wedding day were indicted Friday in a case that heightened racial tensions and renewed allegations that the city's officers are too fast on the trigger.
Attorneys for officers Marc Cooper, Gerscard Isnora and Michael Oliver said their clients had been indicted, but they did not know what offenses the officers had been charged with. Grand jurors had considered charges including murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.
The three officers fired the most shots — Cooper, 4, Isnora, 11, and Oliver, 31 — in the Nov. 25 confrontation that killed 23-year-old Sean Bell and wounded two of his friends as they left Bell's bachelor party at a strip club in Queens.
The shooting stirred outrage around New York City and led to accusations of racism against police. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who were wounded in the shooting. Cooper and Isnora are black. Oliver is white.
District Attorney Richard A. Brown said only that the grand jury had reached a decision and it would be announced Monday. He gave no reason for the delay, but indictments are often kept sealed until attorneys and their clients are notified and arrangements can be made for the defendants to surrender.
A person familiar with the case told the AP that the other two officers in the shooting — one black and one white — were not charged. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the grand jury's decision has not been made public.
The case also brought back painful memories of other infamous police shootings in New York City, including the 1999 killing of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo, who died in a hail of 41 bullets. The officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges.
Police union officials defended the officers, arguing they were responding to reasonable suspicions the victims were armed and dangerous.
"This indictment sends a chilling message to all New York City police officers and to all law enforcement throughout the country," said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association. "You can act in good faith and there is no margin for error."
Isnora, 28, was "very upset," attorney Philip Karasyk said. "But he is confident that once he has his day in court he will be vindicated."
The grand jury's decision came after three days of deliberations.
Anticipation has been running high around New York City about the grand jury's decision. Extra police officers were put on standby, and the mayor met with black leaders in the Queens neighborhood where the shooting occurred in hopes of defusing any tensions that might arise from the decision.
"Whatever the grand jury says ... I think you will see the people of this city behaving in an exemplary manner," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday. "They can be disappointed, they can express themselves — that's freedom of speech, I don't have a problem with that. But nobody is going to go out and make our streets unsafe."
Peter St. George Davis, attorney for Sean Bell's parents, said his clients are devastated. "But they pray every day that somehow, out of their son's death will come a message or lasting legacy."
The Rev. Al Sharpton said the charges marked an important first step in the fight for justice in the case.
"The only way you make sure it doesn't happen again is you stop it, and you punish it and you send a signal that we live in a society where laws have to be respected," he said. "So there is no joy, no vengeance, no party here."
A 23-person grand jury heard the case, and 12 grand jurors needed to vote for an indictment for charges to be brought. The panel included eight blacks, seven whites, and a mix of Hispanics and Asians.
The five officers were among the more than 60 witnesses who testified before the grand jury. Survivors Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman also gave their version, insisting the officers fired without warning.
___ Associated Press Writer Samantha Gross contributed to this report.
Information from: AP Wire Services
Posted by: kwflatbed
NYPD officers surrender to face charges in 50-shot killing, to be arraigned later Monday By Associated Press
Monday, March 19, 2007 - Updated: 08:17 AM EST
NEW YORK - Three police officers surrendered Monday to face charges in the shooting that killed a groom on his wedding day.
The policemen, accused of firing most of the 50 shots at three young men in a car outside a nightclub, were being fingerprinted and processed Monday morning before their arraignment.
Michael Oliver, who fired 31 times, and Gescard Isnora, who fired 11 bullets, face felony manslaughter charges, according to a person close to the investigation, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the results were secret. Marc Cooper, who fired four shots, faces a misdemeanor endangerment charge, the person said.
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. Two other officers involved in the shooting were not indicted.
”We are a long way from a conviction,” said defense attorney Philip Karasyk, who represents Isnora.
Prosecutors have declined to discuss the grand jury’s work until the findings are officially released.
The Nov. 25 shooting killed Sean Bell and severely injured two of his bachelor party guests.
Police have said the officers were involved in an undercover investigation at the nightclub when they overheard a conversation that convinced them the men were going to their car to retrieve a gun. They have said that Bell’s car hit the unmarked police vehicle and that the officers believed someone in Bell’s car was reaching for a gun when they opened fire. No gun was found.
While relatives of the victims waited for the Queens district attorney to unseal the indictment Monday, some were angry about reports of a lavish weekend party involving one of the indicted men.
Oliver ran up a $4,200 bill at a restaurant with supporters feasting on $180 pasta with truffles and $575 bottles of wine, the Daily News reported Monday.
”I don’t really know what he was celebrating,” said Denise Ford, whose son Trent Benefield was shot and seriously wounded the night Bell was killed. A third friend, Joseph Guzman, also was wounded in the shooting.
Well I never thought I'd have to eat crow on this one but I guess I do. Mmmm mmmmm, tasty. Then again, we have the trial to look forward to and the Not Guilty verdict. Then Rev. Al. Then the looting. Burning. Killing. All in the name of justice.
Posted by: kwflatbed
Officers Charged in Shooting Face Problems Beyond Court
John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times
Protesters angry about shootings by the police marched near Union Square Saturday
It is up to the courts now to decide the fate of the three city detectives who were indicted in the death of an unarmed black man in Queens.
But another complicated question, one that is unlikely to be fully answered for months, is what the Police Department will do with them, as well with the two other officers who were involved in the fatal shooting but not criminally charged.
On Friday, according to union officials and defense lawyers, a grand jury voted to criminally charge detectives Gescard F. Isnora, Michael Oliver and Marc Cooper in the shooting of Sean Bell, who died in a storm of 50 police bullets hours before his wedding in November. The indictment will be unsealed tomorrow. Detectives Isnora and Oliver were charged with manslaughter, people with knowledge of the decision said, and Detective Cooper was charged with reckless endangerment.
After the shooting, which strained relations between the department and minority communities, all five officers were put on paid leave and had their guns taken away. To defuse critics who demanded that the officers be fired, the department commissioned the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit organization, to independently review its gun training and firearm use.
Police officials have refused to immediately disclose what action they will take with the officers. But, in the short term, department stipulations are clear. Because they are criminally charged, the detectives face 30-day suspensions without pay and must surrender their badges. Then they will be put on paid desk jobs, pending the outcome of the trial.
After that, the department has a range of options: some mandated by police guidelines and state laws; others that will be shaped by what the department’s own investigations yield, as well as by how the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, decides to proceed.
If the detectives are found guilty of felonies, state law requires that they immediately be fired.
But even if the detectives are acquitted, it seems unlikely that their careers will ever be the same, if earlier cases provide any guide. The officers could lose vacation days, be reassigned to endless desk jobs without their guns, or be even fired.
Undercover NYPD Detective Gescard Isnora, right, waits with his attorney for his arraignment in Queens criminal court Monday. Isnora, one of three officers indicted in the 50-shot barrage that killed Sean Bell and wounded two of his friends, was charged with first and second degree manslaughter. (AP Photo/Jesse Ward, Pool)
N.Y.: 2 officers in Sean Bell case could face 50+ years
HEAVIEST RAPS FOR 2 AT BELL ARRAIGNMENT
Two cops who fired 42 of 50 shots at Sean Bell could face more than half a century behind bars after their indictment yesterday in the death of the unarmed groom.
A third could escape prison entirely.
NYPD Detectives Michael Oliver, who fired 31 times, and Gescard Isnora, who got off 11 bullets, pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges, including first- and second-degree manslaughter. The harsher charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years behind bars.
The indicted cops came face to face with Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, who were wounded in the Nov. 25 shooting in Queens.
The third detective, Marc Cooper, charged with reckless endangerment, also pleaded not guilty at the arraignment at Queens Supreme Court.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said the charges weren't enough.
"There clearly was evidence to reach the charges of murder and attempted murder," he said.
Sharpton, intending to say all five cops involved in the shooting should have been charged, said instead, "Clearly, all five officers should have been shot."
He corrected himself, repeating "charged" several times.
Bell, 23, was killed and pals Benefield, 23, and Guzman, 31, were wounded in a barrage of police bullets as they sat in a car after leaving Kalua Cabaret, a strip club.
The three had been attending a bachelor party for Bell, who was to be married later that day.
An eight-count indictment, handed down Friday and unsealed yesterday also accused Oliver, 35, of two counts of first-degree assault and two count of reckless endangerment.
If convicted of all charges, he faces 15 to 75 years behind bars, said a spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Charges against Isnora, 28, include first- and second-degree assault as well as reckless endangerment. He faces 12 to 57 years in prison if convicted.
Cooper, 39, who fired four times, was charged with reckless endangerment after one of his bullets went through a window of an occupied AirTrain station across the street from the club. He faces up to a year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.
"I believe this office and this grand jury got the results that were most appropriate," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in unsealing the indictment.
Officer Michael Carey, who fired three shots, and Officer Paul Headley, who fired one, weren't charged.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Oliver, Isnora and Cooper were suspended without pay, while Carey and Headley were place on modified duty.
Their supervisor that night, Lt. Gary Napoli - who hid behind a car when the gunfire erupted - was also placed on modified duty.
With the unsealing of the indictment, the NYPD began an internal probe of the shooting. "Recognizing that the shooting death of an unarmed individual by police has exacerbated relations in the minority community, the Police Department will redouble its efforts to build the best possible relations with all of New York City's diverse communities," Kelly said.
Bell's parents, William and Valerie Bell, sat in the third row of the courtroom. Valerie Bell wore a button with a picture of her son.
Before the arraignment, the mother bowed her head, closed her eyes and pressed her hands together as if she were praying.
Nicole Paultre Bell, who was engaged to Bell and legally took his name after he died, sat in the fourth row.
Guzman, in a wheelchair, and Benefield, using a crutch, also were in the courtroom. At one point, Guzman wheeled himself closer to get a better look at Oliver and then shook his head.
As the indictment was read, Valerie Bell began to cry.
The three cops, wearing dark suits, stood expressionless.
Judge Randall Eng asked how each defendant was pleading. Lawyer James Culleton, who represents Oliver, said, "Not-guilty plea to all charges."
Isnora's lawyer, Philip Karasyk, "Not guilty of each and every count of the indictment."
Lawyer Paul Martin, who represents Cooper, said, "The defendant pleads not guilty to each count of the indictment."
Eng set bail for Oliver and Isnora at $250,000 bond, or $100,000 cash each, which was posted by the Detectives Endowment Association. Cooper was released without bail.
Outside the courthouse, Paultre Bell said, "Today is just a baby step in the long road that we have ahead of us."
Guzman stood from his wheelchair to reach the microphone.
"Today, we got an indictment. Round One. We've got a hard road to go," he said. "This was not a victory. It's hollow - that's all it is."
In announcing the indictment, DA Brown said he would oppose any change-of-venue attempts.
"I don't believe that you could find a jury that would be more impartial, thorough or fair than you'd find here in Queens County," he said.
When asked if he would consider a plea bargain, Brown said, "I don't know if any offers were made by the attorneys."
Sharpton, speaking at his Harlem headquarters, adamantly opposed a plea bargain. "We certainly would hope that they will not entertain in any way, shape or form a plea bargain in this case," he said.
Flanked by Paultre Bell, Guzman and Benefield, the civil-rights leader said he was equally opposed to a change of venue being sought by advocates for the cops.
"The question of venue change is not only wrong but insulting the intelligence of the public and the intelligence of the court," he said. "We will not participate in or cooperate with a trial outside of Queens County.
"This case at its best is a return to grief for all of those involved. This is not a cause for joy, celebration or revenge," Sharpton added.
Paultre Bell broke down and sobbed as she watched Brown announce the charges on TV.
Dozens of protesters lined the sidewalk in front of the courthouse. Some carried signs. Others wore clothing with sayings referring to the 50 shots that killed Bell.
The protesters included city Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), who called for a special prosecutor to push for punishment for all five cops. "This job is incomplete," he said.
Three protesters were arrested for sitting on the courthouse steps.
At a news conference after the arraignment, Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, condemned the charges against the cops.
"It's a very dark day for the detectives and the NYPD," he said. "The message that's being sent by these charges is more chilling than I originally thought. I don't know how law-enforcement officers throughout this country can now go to work in confidence."
Additional reporting by Jana Winter
----
Crime & punishment
MARC COOPER
Fired four times:
* Two counts second-degree reckless endangerment for firing multiple times with people present, causing a bullet to pass through occupied AirTrain station. Up to one year and/ or $1,000 fine.
GESCARD ISNORA
Fired 11 times:
* One count first-degree manslaughter. Five to 25 years.
* One count second-degree manslaughter for recklessly causing Bell's death. Probation to 15 years.
* One count first-degree assault for intentionally and seriously injuring Guzman. Five to 25 years.
* One count second-degree assault for recklessly injuring Benefield. Two to seven years.
* One count second-degree reckless endangerment for firing multiple times with people present. Up to a year behind bars and/or $1,000 fine.
MICHAEL OLIVER
Fired 31 times:
* One count first-degree manslaughter for causing Sean Bell's death and intending to seriously injure Joseph Guzman. Five to 25 years
* One count seconddegree manslaughter. Probation to 15 years.
* Two counts firstdegree assault. Five to 25 years.
* Two counts second-degree reckless endangerment for firing on street with people present Up to a year and/or $1,000 fine.
Story From: The New York Post
Posted by: kwflatbed
Officer in '84 Shooting 'Feels' for NYPD Officers
It's a small, lonely group: city police officers who have been charged with murder or manslaughter.
Stephen Sullivan, the former Emergency Services officer who was indicted for manslaughter in the 1984 Bronx shooting death of Eleanor Bumpurs, 66, has been there, and says he knows what the three detectives indicted in the Sean Bell shooting case are experiencing.
"I feel for them," Sullivan said yesterday at his Westchester home. "They're going to have a headache. It's going to be a tough thing, a tough thing to get through. If you listen to [the Rev. Al] Sharpton, you'd think these guys are monsters and they couldn't wait to do this to Mr. Bell."
Sullivan is white and Bumpurs was black, and the case was as racially divisive and controversial as any the city has seen.
He was acquitted in a non-jury trial and allowed to return to the force, from which he retired in 1990. He's 65 now, drives a school bus and has five grandchildren.
The Bell indictments - detectives Gescard Isnora and Michael Oliver are charged with manslaughter and Det. Marc Cooper is charged with reckless endangerment, with all three pleading not guilty - have brought all those emotional days rushing back to Sullivan.
Sullivan said there is no way to draw definitive conclusions about what happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 25, when police shot and killed Bell, 23, and wounded two of his friends near a Queens strip club where Bell had celebrated his bachelor party. The three men were unarmed.
Back in 1984, it was Sullivan who was questioned, criticized and vilified by activists and protesters who considered the NYPD a far-too-white collection of overly aggressive officers.
Sullivan and five other officers had gone to Bumpurs' apartment to evict her for nonpayment of rent. Bumpurs, an emotionally disturbed woman who weighed nearly 300 pounds, pulled out a 10-inch knife, lunged at police and was shot dead by Sullivan.
During the ensuing outcry, each of the more than 200 Emergency Services cops working at the time put in for transfers. The transfers were not granted, but cops sympathetic to Sullivan continued their support for him, with 7,000 police officers rallying one day outside State Supreme Court in the Bronx.
All these years later, Sullivan remains sure he did nothing wrong.
"I think I acted correctly," he said. "And I'm still standing."
Sullivan was a 19-year veteran at the time. His future, he figured then, already was planned out. He'd retire after 20 years and become a mailman, the same job he held for two years before joining the NYPD.
The Bumpurs case changed that. After his acquittal, he decided to return to the one job he had dreamed of doing since he was a kid. He retired several years later.
Today, he drives a school bus for handicapped students and lives with his wife, Maureen. They have a daughter, Christine, who is a nurse, and a son, also Stephen, who initially followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a police officer.
The younger Sullivan stayed on the force two years, assigned to the 44th Precinct, where his father got his start, and then joined the Fire Department. He was among the responders to the March 7 blaze on Woodycrest Avenue in the Bronx that killed 10 people.
The elder Sullivan, meanwhile, seems to harbor no bitterness.
"I did 25 years in the PD," he said. "It wasn't a bad job."
Story from: Newsday
Posted by: Danman
well see about this one
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John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times
Undercover NYPD Detective Gescard Isnora, right, waits with his attorney for his arraignment in Queens criminal court Monday. Isnora, one of three officers indicted in the 50-shot barrage that killed Sean Bell and wounded two of his friends, was charged with first and second degree manslaughter. (AP Photo/Jesse Ward, Pool) 
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