Justice in NYC Sean Bell shooting case

All right!

The three NYPD detectives accused of murdering a local ne’er-do-well named Sean Bell were acquitted on all charges this morning by Justice Arthur Cooperman. Detectives Gescard Isnora and Michael Oliver, faced up to 25 years behind bars for manslaughter charges, while Det. Marc Cooper faced a year in jail on reckless endangerment charges after an incident in which they attempted to stop and question Bell and his companions outside of a New York strip club after overhearing one of them say that they were going to get a gun following an argument with other patrons. Bell drove his SUV at the detectives and they opened fire, killing Bell and wounding his two posse members.

The judge heard evidence that Bell was drunk and "out of control" when he left the club. Witnesses overheard Bell exchange curses with another patron, 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 with his car.

In the immediate wake of this incident, the money-grubbers and publicity hounds descended. Race-mongers Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson began screaming about a culture of police brutality and wanton murder. Bell’s baby-momma put on a weird public “marriage ceremony” in which she adopted his name after his death and proclaimed herself to be a “widow” as she filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the city. Bell’s two surviving pals also sued for outrageous sums, and all three have been bankrolled and trotted out for press conferences by Farrakhan.

This was a case that never should have been brought. The police officers, all decorated veterans, were just doing their job when they confronted Bell and his gang. What happened next was all on Bell, who could have obeyed the police but refused to do so, choosing instead to try to hit one with his car. It didn’t have to go the way that it did, but the fault lie with Bell, not the officers, and neither his baby’s momma nor his criminal pals should ever see a dime of city funds.

I do understand why the prosecution had to try this case. I’m actually glad that they did, because a fair trial now puts to rest any claims of privilege or favoritism based on the officer’s status, and the acquittal vindicates them and lets them get on with their lives. The question now is how New York’s thug culture will react. Will they get all stupid and destroy their own neighborhoods like they did in the wake of the Rodney King verdicts? Or will they act like normal grown adults and accept the verdict calmly? The next few hours will tell.