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SEVEN NY COPS CHARGED; FOUR PHILLY COPS FIRED: Action taken against police in both Sean Bell and Philadelphia beating cases.
*Seven New York police officers involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man were hit with charges Tuesday, while four Philadelphia policemen caught on tape beating three black suspects were fired from their department.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said all seven NYPD officers are due to face hearings relating to the fatal shooting of Sean Bell on his wedding night.
Gary Napoli, the commanding officer on the night of the shooting, faces charges for failing to supervise the operation, Browne said. Michael Carey, who fired three shots, is charged with firing his gun outside department guidelines. Two crime scene detectives, Sergeant Hugh McNeil and Detective Robert Knapp, were charged for their actions in the aftermath of the shooting.
The Justice Department, federal prosecutors and the FBI are now reviewing the case and could take legal action if investigators suspect a violation of federal civil rights laws.
In Philadelphia, the city’s police commissioner announced that four officers were fired and four others demoted or suspended following a two-week examination of a video that showed 18 officers attacking three suspects.
The eight policemen were among a throng that surrounded a car earlier this month, dragged the suspects out onto the pavement and began kicking and punching them while they lay on the ground.
“We do have a group of officers whose actions were outside department policy and procedure,” Commissioner Charles Ramsey told a news conference.
The officers may face criminal charges by Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, whose office is now examining the video. The FBI is also reviewing the video, Ramsey said.
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