Officers Won't Face Charges In Sean Bell Shooting

POLITICS

» by Danielle Canada February 17, 2010, 9:48am

The NYPD officers responsible for the barrage of 50-bullets that killed unarmed Sean Bell in 2006 will not face civil rights charges.

The justice department made the ruling Tuesday citing insufficient evidence.

The justice department has since released a statement saying that the three officers responsible for the murder of Bell did not violate his civil rights and that they did not find enough evidence to prove that the officers had willfully acted to deny him the rights given by the constitution.

A portion of their statement reads,

“Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation.”

In 2006 Sean Bell was murdered and two of his friends were seriously injured outside a New York club following his bachelor party. He was set to be married to his fiancée Nicole Paultre-Bell later that day before officers fired 50 shots into his vehicle. There were no weapons in the car.

Three officers were acquitted in 2008 of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment even though police say that officer Michael Oliver stopped to reload his weapon, firing 31 of the 50 shots that filled the vehicle.

The family of Sean Bell has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and is seeking help from President Obama in the case.

SMH...this is absolutely ridiculous.

To read the justice department's full statement justifying this unjustifiable crime click here.

So much for justice...our prayers are with Nicole Paultre-Bell and his family.

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