Tuesday, the city of New York agreed to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from a 2006 shooting which killed Sean Bell and injured Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. The Associated Press reports the settlement was filed in Brooklyn and will award $3.35 million to the estate of Bell, $3 million to Guzman and $900,000 to Benefield. Police opened fire on the three men outside of a Queens strip club while they were leaving Bell’s bachelor party.
After his killing, artists such as Game, ?uestlove, Papoose, David Banner and many others took up Bell’s cause. Bell’s widow, Nicole Paultre-Bell was also featured in a Rocawear advertisement.
“We hope that all parties can find some measure of closure by this settlement,” city attorney, Michael A. Cardozo, said in a written statement.
In 2008 the involved officers, Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper, were acquitted of manslaughter and other charges. There were also no civil rights charged raised against the officers, and they currently remain on modified duty and face departmental charges.
