Mar 5, 2007 4:08 pm US/Eastern
Police Officers Testify In Sean Bell Case
by Scott Weinberger
QUEENS (CBS) ―
After more than a month of testimony from more than 60 witnesses, grand jurors in Queens are finally beginning to hear from the police officers who fired the 50 shot barrage that killed Sean Bell.
Detective Paul Headley was the first of five members of the NYPD involved in that deadly shooting to testify. Headley arrived at the courthouse just before 9:30 a.m., said Michael Palladino, president of the police officers' union.
There was no criminality in their hearts nor in their minds when they took the actions they took. And we hope to articulate that to the grand jury this week," said Palladino.
left the closed-door session feeling "relieved that he had the opportunity to tell his version of events," said his attorney, John Arlia. "Clearly, it has been a toll on him and his family."
Headley, 35, dressed in a dark suit, did not speak to reporters after testifying for more than two hours about the killing of Bell. Officer Michael Carey, 26, arrived a short time later accompanied by Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.
"He will go in there and tell his story as a police officer and put some facts to some of the fiction that ran on the streets," Lynch said.
The grand jury has been calling the officers in ascending order, based on the number of bullets they fired: Headley fired one round; Carey, three; Marc Cooper, four; Gescard Isnora, 11; and Michael Oliver, 31.
Sean Bell, 23, was killed on November 25, 2006 when the officers fired into his car outside a Jamaica strip club, where he was celebrating his bachelor party. Bell's friends Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were in his car and were wounded during the shooting. Both testified last Friday before the grand jury.
All five officers are expected to testify, something union officials say is crucial to the case.
"We have asked the grand jury to do a thorough investigation. I don't think they can do a thorough investigation or make an informed decision without hearing from the officers involved in the case," said Palladino.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
