Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Victims in Sean Bell Shooting Testify During Grand Jury
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 3, 2007
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 Mar 3, 2007
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
Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who were in their friend Sean Bell's car when police fired 50 times at them, testified before the grand jury yesterday. While they did not tell reporters what they said about the shooting that after Bell's bachelor party, Benefield said, "We just need justice." Guzman, who was hospitalized for two months and is still in a wheelchair due to his wounds, said, "We've been waiting for this for a long time; this is the first step. We have a long road ahead of us. To sit here and think about it hurts."
Guzman and Benefield have maintained that the undercover police did not identify themselves and that Bell and they were unarmed during a chaotic scene outside a Queens strip club last November. Bell died, a day before his wedding. Some community leaders have accused the police of aggressive and perhaps racist tactics; the police have pointed to the fact that the officers involved were white and black.
Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre-Bell, also testified. Paultre-Bell simply said, "Everything I do, every day I walk, now that’s for him." The Reverand Al Sharpton, who has been critical of the justice process related to the shooting so far, said, "Though we question local grand juries, we will go anywhere, anytime, to tell the truth until justice is served."
The grand jury, who has been reviewing evidence and hearing testimony, will decide if there is enough evidence for the Queens DA's office to indict the police. The five police officers involved in the shooting are all expected to testify next week. Detective Mike Oliver, who fired 31 of the shots, will testify, though he is, as the Daily News puts it, "is at the greatest risk of being indicted."
Photograph of memorial to Sean Bell on Liverpool Street (where the shooting occurred) by Casa de Darnoc on Flickr
Tagged
al sharpton
daily news
Everything I
flickr
grand jury
joseph guzman
liverpool street
news
Nicole Paultre
photos
police
queens
queens da
Queens Shooting
racist
sean bell
shooting
strip club
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 .