The dismissed detective who fired the first bullets in the 2006 death of Sean Bell is reportedly seeking legal action against the NYPD for his firing.
The firing follows a 5 1/2 year disciplinary process that concluded Detective Gescard Isnora had acted improperly in the shooting that lead to a 50-bullet barrage that killed Bell, who was unarmed and celebrating his bachelor party.
On Saturday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly made the decision to fire Isnora and force three other officers in connection to the shooting into resigning from the department.
Isnora will also loose his pension and healthcare benefits.
A lawyer for Isnora slammed the NYPD's decision to as "arbitrary and capricious," WNYC reports.
Mike Palladino of the Detectives' Endowment Association also defended Isnora and said, "The decision is demoralizing and it's unsetting for all members of the NYPD. The message is that you could be in a life-or-death situation, act within the law, be justified by the courts and still lose everything – your livelihood as well as your retirement."
But Sean Bell's fiancee said the firing was an inconsequential move compared to Bell's tragic death. Nicole Paultre Bell said:
I’m thankful that finally after six years, the officer was terminated. But honestly, it should have been terminations across the board. It’s little justice for us at this point.
As for Detectives Marc Cooper and Michael Oliver who were involved in the shooting, they'll still be receiving their hefty pensions. In light of his resignation, Cooper commented he'd "pursue higher education" and then refused to comment, joking, "In the Police Department, you learn that you don’t make any comments until after you receive your first pension check."