The family of Sean Bell declared “a small piece of justice” after the New York City Council decided to re-name Liverpool Street in Queens after the unarmed man that police gunned down there in 2006.
“Finally, we have … something to show that Sean’s death won’t be in vain,” Bell’s fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell told Metro after the 41-7 vote yesterday.
Bell’s death sparked a firestorm after he was killed outside a strip club the night before his wedding in November 2006. As police approached, thinking someone in his party had a gun, an intoxicated Bell allegedly drove his car at an undercover cop, police said. Officers fired 50 shots at Bell and his friends. They were cleared of wrongdoing.
Not everyone favored creating Sean Bell Way.
“The men in that car made a mistake, and the police officers also made a mistake,” said Astoria Councilman Peter Vallone.
Det. Michael Palladino, president of the NYC Detectives’ Endowment Association said Bell “was killed in the commission of a crime – drunk driving, using the car to assault a detective, and then tried to flee the scene.”
