Continuing Fight for Justice in Sean Bell Shooting

Photograph of a young boy participating in Sunday's protest march by Stephen Chernin/AP

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers visited the site where Sean Bell was fatally shot by police officers. He was accompanied by people including Bell's friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who were also fired at, and the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Conyers said he spoke to U.S. Attorney Michael Mukasey and that he would work on strategy with the committee, "We want to make sure justice is served, and we send a message not just to law enforcement but to young people that these types of tragedies have to end in this country." A representative from the Detectives' Endowment Association stopped Conyers during his visit, requesting that the he meet with them as well; Conyers seemed open to the idea.

Last night, Nicole Paultre Bell told NY1's Dominic Carter:

When I heard that decision I was devastated. What they're saying is that it was OK for the police to kill Sean. He can say that but I can't go home and tell my daughters it's okay that their daddy's dead because the cops did it. I can't tell my daughters that. They're not going to accept that.

Paultre Bell did tell Carter she accepted Detective Marc Cooper's apology, "I accept his apology. He looks genuine. Even sitting in court, he really did look like he was sorry for what happened but unfortunately it happened. Sad to say that's the only apology we got.” The other two detectives, Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora, did not apologize.

Governor David Paterson spoke out about the case, saying he was surprised by the not guilty verdict and it could "arouse a mistrust" in the police, but added that discouraged people should wait for the federal investigation's and NYPD's next steps. As for Barack Obama's call for non violence after the verdict, Sharpton said Obama was grandstanding for white people, according to sources who spoke to the Post.