WASHINGTON - The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Division, announced today that in light of the acquittals of three New York City police officers in State Supreme Court in Queens, N.Y., they will conduct an independent review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the Nov. 25, 2006, shooting of Sean Bell and two others that resulted in the death of Mr. Bell. The Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s Office have been monitoring the state’s prosecution of this case and, following the review of all the evidence, will take appropriate action if the evidence indicates a prosecutable violation of federal criminal civil rights statutes. The Department can make no further comment on this case at this time.
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08-344