Groom Killed on Wedding Day

we were just talkin bout this @ work--

what are ur opinions on this?

i went to HS w/the groom

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50 shots is ridiculous. No matter what the police "thought" was going on. Horrible thing to happen at any time, never mind right before the wedding.

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When & where did it happen? I did not watch the news at all

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I think it's so sad- I really feel for the family- how about shooting out the tires of the car if they are driving away- not the people in the car

I don't 100% believe the cops version if events- the other 2 victims- who are hand cuffed to their hospital beds- said they never indentified themselves as police officers-

50 shots is really exessive- considering the victims were unarmed

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NEW YORK (AP) -- An angry crowd shouted "No justice, no peace!" Some called for the ouster of the city's police commissioner. Many counted off to 50, the number of rounds that are estimated to have been fired by police at three unarmed men, killing one on his wedding day.

Several hundred people gathered Sunday for a vigil and rally to demand answers about why officers let fly a flurry of bullets at 23-year-old Sean Bell early Saturday, hours before he was supposed to marry the mother of his two young children.

The five officers were placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of their guns, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the NYPD. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation.

But none of that stemmed the fury of a community outraged by the shootings. (Watch the crowd count down the number of shots fired )

"We cannot allow this to continue to happen," the Rev. Al Sharpton said at the gathering outside Mary Immaculate Hospital, where one of the two wounded men was in critical condition. "We've got to understand that all of us were in that car."

Relatives of the men, including Bell's fiancee, attended the vigil and rally but none spoke publicly.

Some in the crowd called for the removal of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, yelling "Kelly must go!"

Kelly has said that police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.

But a witness account emerged Monday disputing that version of events.

Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where Bell's bachelor party was held, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with the men and was putting her makeup bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.

"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," Wright, 28, told the newspaper for Monday editions. "No 'stop.' No 'freeze.' No nothing."

Kelly had said Saturday the police department was still piecing together what happened and that it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified. He said it was unclear whether the officers, who were in plain clothes, identified themselves before firing.

On Sunday, Browne said, "We are continuing to look for additional witnesses to shed light on the incident and assisting the district attorney's office with its investigation."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kelly planned to meet with community leaders at City Hall on Monday. Bloomberg and his aides were in contact with Bell's family and community leaders throughout the weekend.

The shootings occurred after 4 a.m. Saturday outside the Kalua Cabaret in Queens. Kelly said the incident stemmed from an undercover operation by seven officers investigating the club.

Bell was struck twice. The survivors were Joseph Guzman, 31, who was shot at least 11 times, and Trent Benefield, 23, who was hit three times. Guzman was in critical condition Sunday and Benefield was stable.

The officers' shots struck the men's car 21 times. They also hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no residents were injured.

Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun, but investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said.

According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club, and one of his friends referred to a gun.

An undercover officer walked closely behind Bell and his friends as they headed for their car. As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, the car drove forward, striking the officer and minivan, Kelly said.

The officer was apparently the first to open fire, Kelly said. He had served on the force for five years. One 12-year veteran fired his weapon 31 times, emptying two full magazines, Kelly said.

In total, it is believed 50 bullets were fired, he said. It was the first time any of the officers, all of whom carried 9 mm handguns, had been involved in a shooting, he said.

At some point, Bell backed the car onto a sidewalk, hitting a building gate, police said. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said.

The police department's policy on shooting at moving vehicles states: "Police officers shall not discharge their firearms at or from a moving vehicle unless deadly force is being used against the police officers or another person present, by means other than a moving vehicle."

The police officers' group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care said it was issuing a vote of no confidence in Kelly over the shooting.

Community leaders planned a rally December 6 at police headquarters.

This isn't the first time the NYPD has come under scrutiny over officer-involved shootings.

In 1999, police killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea in western African who was shot 19 times. The four officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges. And in 2003, Ousmane Zongo, a native of Burkina Faso in western African, was hit four times, twice in the back.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Re: Groom Killed on Wedding Day

NEW YORK -- The five officers who let fly a flurry of bullets at three unarmed men were placed on leave and stripped of their guns. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation.

But none of that stemmed the fury of a community outraged by the shooting. A crowd of at least a few hundred gathered Sunday at a vigil and rally to demand resolution after the gunfire left one man dead on his wedding day and two others wounded.

The group, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, shouted "No justice, no peace," and some called for the ouster of the city Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, yelling "Kelly must go."


Elected officials and community leaders promised to hold police accountable for the Saturday morning incident, in which officers fired an estimated 50 rounds at the men as they left the groom's bachelor party in a car. Sean Bell, 23, had planned to marry the mother of his two young children just hours later.

"We cannot allow this to continue to happen," said Sharpton at the gathering outside Mary Immaculate Hospital in Queens. "We've got to understand that all of us were in that car."

Kelly has said that police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked NYPD minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and with two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.

But a witness account emerged Monday disputing that version of events.

Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where the men had been celebrating, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with them and was putting her makeup bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.

"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," the 28-year-old told the newspaper for Monday editions. "No 'stop.' No 'freeze.' No nothing."

Kelly had said Saturday night that the police department was still piecing together what happened and that it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified. He said it was unclear whether the officers, who were all in plain clothes, identified themselves before firing.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kelly planned to meet with leaders at City Hall on Monday. Bloomberg and his aides were in contact with Bell's family and community leaders throughout the weekend to update them on the investigation and receive their feedback.

Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre, made a quiet visit to the site of his death before dawn Monday, lighting candles clustered around a photograph of the smiling couple with one of their daughters.

The surviving victims were Joseph Guzman, 31, who was shot at least 11 times, and Trent Benefield, 23, who was hit three times. The shootings occurred outside the Kalua Cabaret, a strip club where the bachelor party was held. Both men are at Mary Immaculate Hospital, where Guzman was in critical condition and Benefield was listed as stable.

Relatives of the men attended Sunday's vigil and rally but none spoke publicly.

Chief police spokesman Paul Browne on Sunday confirmed reports that the five officers who fired were placed on paid administrative leave, a procedure that is administrative but not disciplinary, while the investigation goes on. He said the police department had taken their guns.

The officers will remain on leave "until we learn more about the circumstances of the shooting," Browne said. "There are still a number of unanswered questions."

The officers' shots struck the men's car 21 times. The wild gunfire hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no residents were injured.

Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun. But investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said.

Kelly said the incident stemmed from an undercover operation inside the strip club in the Jamaica section of Queens. Seven officers in plain clothes were investigating the Kalua Cabaret.

According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club after 4 a.m., and one of his friends made a reference to a gun.

An undercover officer walked closely behind Bell and his friends as they headed for their car. As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, they drove forward -- striking him and a nearby undercover police vehicle, Kelly said.

The officer who had followed the group on foot was apparently the first to open fire, Kelly said. That officer had served on the force for five years. One 12-year veteran fired his weapon 31 times, emptying two full magazines, Kelly said. In total, it is believed 50 bullets were fired, he said.

It was the first time any of the officers, who all carried 9 mm handguns, had been involved in a shooting, Kelly said.

At some point, Bell, who was driving, backed his car up onto the sidewalk, hitting a building gate. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said.

Police could not question the officers who fired at the men because the district attorney must first complete an investigation, Kelly said.

Kelly said there may have been a fourth person in the car who fled the scene. Three officers, including the officer hit by the car, were treated and released. Another detective remained hospitalized Sunday for hypertension.

The police department's policy on shooting at moving vehicles states: "Police officers shall not discharge their firearms at or from a moving vehicle unless deadly force is being used against the police officers or another person present, by means other than a moving vehicle."

Kelly said undercover officers were inside the club to document illicit activity. With one more violation the club would be shut down, Kelly said. He said the establishment had a "chronic history of narcotics, prostitution and weapons complaints."

On Sunday, the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care said it is issuing a vote of no confidence in Kelly over the shooting. It also wants the removal of the Organized Crime Control Bureau chief, Anthony Izzo, who it says created the undercover unit involved in the incident.

Browne said Sunday, "We are continuing to look for additional witnesses to shed light on the incident and assisting the district attorney's office with its investigation."

Community leaders are planning a rally at police headquarters for Dec. 6.

This isn't the first time the NYPD has come under scrutiny over police-involved shootings.

In 1999, police killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea who was shot 19 times in the Bronx. The four officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges. And in 2003, Ousmane Zongo was shot to death during a police raid. The 43-year-old native of Burkina Faso, another West African nation, was hit four times, twice in the back.

Re: Groom Killed on Wedding Day

I think it was horrible what happened. I couldnt stop staring at the pic. That poor bride..........something that didnt have to happen.

And the kicker is not one of them found with a weapon. Its so sad

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It is a freaking shame!!! That is a disgrace. I feel so bad for the bride and the family.

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My friend is friends with the bride

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50 shots is insane! it is horrible no matter when it happens, but on your wedding day has to be the worst! Poor bride, poor family...so sad

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50 shots is ridiculous, yes. But, if the story happened the way the police are saying it happened. I am not sure what to think. I am bothered by the whole story.

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Our best man is NYPD and was at the scene - he was NOT a shooter - he was a uniformed responder.

There is a lot of info that has not been released to the media, and knowing what I know now, I agree that no one deserves to die and 50 shots is excessive, but there was reason for those officers to shoot.

Message edited 11/27/2006 10:12:49 AM.

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As for my opinion on the story, I'd like to hear more before I pass judgement any any parties involved.

Too many questions that need to be answered yet.

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This is so sad

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One officer emptied one mag and reloaded and started emptying another. Something set him off and he obviously feared for his and his partners' lives. I'm curious to what transpired before.

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