Sean Bell Acquittals Spark Protests Across New York City

After Judge Cooperman acquitted all three NYPD detectives in the Sean Bell shooting, thousands marched across New York City, blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Times Square. Al Sharpton and Bell's fiancée Nicole Paultre Bell led demonstrations. The DOJ opened a civil rights investigation; no federal charges were ultimately filed. The city settled a civil suit for $3.25 million in 2010.