Cops Acquitted in NYC Groom Shooting

A judge today acquitted three detectives who killed an unarmed New York City man in a hail of 50 bullets hours before his wedding in November 2006, the New York Times reports. The judge cited problems with witnesses' testimony in the killing of Sean Bell and a lack of sufficient evidence. Roughly 150 Bell supporters had gathered inside and outside the courtroom, including fiancée Nicole Paultre-Bell, who ran from the courtroom when the verdict was read, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The prosecution chose to have a judge, rather than a jury, decide the case. Bell was shot as he drove away from his bachelor party at a Queens nightclub. An undercover cop, thinking Bell or one of his passengers was armed, approached the car with a gun drawn, telling Bell not to move. When Bell, who friends said thought he was being robbed, moved his car, they opened fire, with one defendant firing 31 shots. (More Sean Bell stories.)