Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Queens Shooting: Sean Bell Was Drunk When Shot By Police
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 23, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 23, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Toxicology reports now show that Sean Bell, the unarmed man who was killed in a barrage of police bullets hours before his wedding, had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. Which gives the groups representing the police some soundbites regarding the events of the night. The Detectives' Endowment Association president Michael Palladino said, "[This report] gives some insight into why Sean Bell acted the way he did behind the wheel. His behavior was reckless and life-threatening to the officer he hit. If the reports are true, his judgment was impaired."
The undercover police officers who shot at Bell and two of his friends said that he identified himself as a police officer but that Bell drove into him anyway, one of the possible reasons why the police shot at him (though why 50 shots were fired is another issue). One of Bell's friends, Trent Benefield, said that the officer did not identify himself.
Sanford Rubenstein, a lawyer for the Bell family, says, "No matter what his blood-alcohol level was, he is a victim." And let's not forget that there are questions about how much the police were drinking that evening.
Photograph of Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, at last weekend's protest march by Shiho Fukada; Paultre Bell is wearing a pin with Sean Bell's photograph
Tagged
alcohol
drinking
Endowment Association
events
friends
Michael Palladino
Nicole Paultre
police
protest
Queens Shooting
sanford rubenstein
sean bell
Shiho Fukada
The Police
Trent Benefield
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .