A Queens DA took the stand yesterday, to testify about a detective who fired at Sean Bell, an unarmed man killed in a barrage of police gunfire hours before his wedding. DA Michelle Cort, who took Detective Marc Cooper's statement after the November 25, 2006 shooting, said, "He told us he fired a single shot. He was certain he fired one time."
Cooper, (pictured) who actually fired four times and is charged with reckless endangerment, had reasoned the missing rounds were left at home. Additionally, Cort said Cooper "fired where he thought he heard the shots coming from" - even though he didn't see the shooting.
He also claimed that his badge was visibly looped around his neck as he leaned out of an unmarked Camry to take his one (or four) shots at the Nissan, but didn't recall whether his fellow undercover cops displayed their police badges or hearing police commands. A spokesman for the Detectives Endowment Association, said Cooper's actions were caused by a "tunnel vision" reaction to a combat situation to survive.
And on Monday, the NYPD's forensics chief seemed to support defendant Detective Gescard Isnora's claim that Sean Bell, driving in his Nissan Altima, tried to run him down. A jeans-print on the Nissan's bumper matched Isnora's pants, and Dr. Peter Pizzola said, "It would be more than casual contact. It would require heat. I can't determine what speed would have been required."
