Jan 2, 2007 8:15 pm US/Eastern
Sean Bell's Mother Leads Day 2 Of 50-Day Vigil
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
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Sean Bell was killed by a hail of police gunfire in the early morning hours of Nov. 25 outside a Jamaica nightclub.
CBS
The family of Sean Bell, the groom fatally shot by police on his wedding day, called Tuesday for indictments in the case and the appointment of a special prosecutor as they began the second day of 50-day vigil in front of a police station.
"We're trying to get the point across to the world that we are standing for justice," said Valerie Bell, the victim's mother, speaking by cell phone Tuesday from the vigil site. "The thing that happened to my son shouldn't happen to anyone again."
Valerie Bell had begun the vigil at 4:56 a.m. Monday -- approximately the same time that her son was killed in a barrage of police gunfire outside a Queens strip club.
She said she would attend the vigil everyday for several hours, starting at 4:56 a.m. Other family members, friends and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre-Bell, also are taking turns at the vigil, where a 12-foot banner showing 50 "bullet holes" around a portrait of the slain groom and the message "NEVER AGAIN" was draped on a fence.
"We're out here for peace and justice," said Bell.
In a statement, the Bell family said they wanted to call attention to the lack of indictments in the case and the need for a special prosecutor. The vigil also was meant to highlight the "devaluation of the lives of young black men" in the city, they said.
The city has denied any race discrimination in the incident.
Sean Bell, 23, who was black, was fatally shot by police on Nov. 25, 2006, after celebrating his last day of bachelorhood at the Kalua Cabaret. The lethal shooting set off an uproar of criticism aimed at the New York Police Department for its use of deadly force, undercover tactics and treatment of minorities.
Two of Bell's friends also were wounded in the rain of bullets fired by undercover detectives who were staking out the club for alleged criminal activity. All three men were unarmed.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
CBS 2's Coverage Of The Death Of Sean Bell
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