Jan 26, 2008 8:26 am US/Eastern
Judge To Decide On Sean Bell Shooting Trial
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Three New York City police detectives charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man on his wedding day will be tried by a judge instead of a jury.
CBS
A judge -- not a jury -- will decide the case of three NYPD detectives charged in the fatal shooting of Sean Bell in Queens.
A State Supreme Court Judge has scheduled the trial to begin on February 25.
Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, says pretrial publicity has tainted the jury pool.
The Reverend Al Sharpton is calling the detectives' decision an insult to the residents of Queens. Sharpton is acting as an advocate for the victim's family.
Bell was shot as he and some friends left a nightclub after his bachelor party. The detectives were conducting an undercover operation at the club.
Police union officials have said the detectives believed Bell and his friends were going to get a gun. No weapon was found.
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