Constitutional Law
DOJ Nixes Potential Civil Rights Case Over Sean Bell's Wedding-Day Death in Hail of Police Bullets
Citing a lack of evidence to prove that New York City police “acted willfully” when they fired some 50 shots at an unarmed African-American man leaving his bachelor party on his wedding day in 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice has declined to pursue civil rights charges concerning the death of Sean Bell.
However, a police disciplinary case is anticipated and Bell’s family is pursuing a lawsuit, reports the City Room blog of the New York Times.
Police officers involved in the shooting were acquitted in an earlier criminal trial, sparking protests that resulted in the convictions of eight individuals on disorderly conduct charges.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Sharpton, 7 Others, Convicted in Protest of NYPD Sean Bell Shooting”
