Dec 11, 2006 11:07 pm US/Eastern
Internal Report Raises Questions In Bell Shooting
Police, Victims Tell Completely Opposite Stories
by Scott Weinberger
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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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
A preliminary report on the shooting death of Sean Bell is raising controversial questions about what exactly happened the night of the shooting.
The internal investigative police document, obtained by CBS 2 News, does not include the accounts of the officers who fired their weapons, but it does detail interviews from other officers on scene during and after the shooting, along with interviews from several witnesses.
Contrary to published reports, the preliminary report is absent of any details of the possible fourth man involved. Detectives on the case have been scouring the city for this mystery man who may have been armed.
The report also raises the question as to whether officers opened fire before the victim, Sean Bell, hit the gas or after. According to the report, in an interview with internal affairs investigators, Trent Benefield said the first thing he noticed was a black male (referring to the undercover officer) with a gun he had not seen before standing in front of their vehicle and firing his weapon.
That's when Benefield claimed Bell tried to drive away before crashing into an unmarked police van. Benefield also said he had heard about eight or nine gunshots.
The lieutenant in charge of the undercover unit told investigators the exact opposite, however. The report states, "After hearing sounds of a collision, Lt. Napoli stated he heard shots being fired."
The report also includes statements from one of the first officers on scene after the shooting. A sergeant from the 103rd Precinct told investigators when he approached the car, "the male driver was slumped back into his seat and the male in the passenger seat was lying across the driver's lap with his arms hanging outside of the driver's window."
That same sergeant was the first to question Det. Michael Oliver, who fired 31 of the 50 rounds.
"Later Sgt. Wheeler asked Det. Oliver if he had discharged his weapon. The detective replied he was unsure if he had discharged any rounds," the report said.
Prosecutors have not yet questioned the officers involved in the shooting, which is standard procedure. Former Det. Bo Dietl said these preliminary reports are the first step in the investigation. The interviews also make it clear that some of the officers were concerned about at least one of the men in the car being armed.
The report details a flurry of cell phone and radio reports by police that someone may have a gun.
A source also said that to investigators the issue of a fourth man is still inconclusive -- the report is not the only source of information.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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