One of the New York city police officers acquitted in the shooting of Sean Bell has filed suit against Bell's estate. Officer Michael Carey was one of the officers who shot Bell on his wedding night in 2006. Carey suffered leg injuries when Bell, who'd been drinking, got behind the wheel of his car after his bachelor's party.

Carey claims that his leg injuries occurred before the gunfire shot down Bell, who was unarmed when police killed him. The suit was brought forth in Brooklyn federal court in response to a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Bell family against Carey and other officers responsible for the shooting.

The officers who shot Bell were acquitted of manslaughter charges. The community was outraged after the killing, and Bell's death continues to lead to protests to this day, as well as continued distrust of the NYPD. The federal government created even more outrage when it refused to press charges against the officers responsible for the shooting.

Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman were also with Bell on the night of the shooting. The officers put 50 bullets into the car, even reloading to continue firing. Officer Michael Oliver shot 31 of the 50 bullets.

The Bell shooting was painful for everyone who can empathize with what his family went through. The most difficult part of all this is that there doesn't seem to have been a thorough explanation for the officers' use of such dramatic force. If justice is to be denied, authorities are obligated to at least explain why. While Bell may not have been a completely innocent party in all of this (if he was drinking and driving his car toward an officer that puts the officer's life in danger), the idea that police can shoot unarmed citizens without explanation is certainly problematic.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.