Friday, March 09, 2007

More Officers Testify In Sean Bell Shooting

A Queens grand jury will hear from more officers who were involved in the shooting of 23-year-old Sean Bell on what would have been his wedding day last November.

Detective Mike Oliver, who fired 31 of the 50 bullets, is expected to testify on Friday.

Undercover Officer Gescard Isnora, who fired 11 shots, started his testimony Wednesday afternoon. Isnora was the first to fire at the car Bell and his friends were in outside Club Kalua on November 25th.

He is the officer police say approached Bell's car with his shield and gun, and who, police say, was struck by the car as Bell and his friends tried to escape. He fired the first shots, shots that, according to police accounts, convinced other officers they were being fired upon.

"His perception was based on observations that he made, conversations that he overheard, and actions of certain individuals both inside and outside of the club before the shooting that obviously led him to believe that imminent danger was upon them,” said Michael Palladino of the Detectives Endowment Association.

Palladino said they would not let the press photograph Isnora because it could compromise investigations he was involved in, though a high-ranking police source said this was not an issue.

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