US:Two New York policemen were charged with manslaughter and a third with reckless endangerment yesterday in the firing of 50 shots at three unarmed black men that killed a groom on his wedding day.
Two other officers were cleared in the death of Seán Bell (23), which prompted allegations of brutality and racial profiling by police and led to street protests and activists' demands for murder indictments for all five officers involved.
A grand jury from the New York borough of Queens reached the indictments on Friday. The detectives turned themselves in yesterday morning before the charges were unsealed and announced by Queens district attorney Richard Brown.
Two - a black and a Hispanic - face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter. The third, who is black, faces one year if convicted of reckless endangerment.
The grand jury's decisions angered some activists, who had hoped for murder charges.
Five police officers fired 50 shots at Mr Bell's car at around 4am on November 25th in the mistaken belief that someone had gone to fetch a gun to settle a dispute inside a strip club, where the three had attended Mr Bell's bachelor party.
Mr Bell, who was to marry the mother of his two children that day, died in the car.
"It is a travesty of justice. All five should have been indicted for murder," city councillor Charles Barron, who has led street protests, said outside the courtroom. "It's a set-up for a slap on the wrist. We are going to keep the heat on the street because this is wrong."
Mr Brown said he would oppose any attempt to move the trial, an option the defence could request if it believes potential jurors were biased.
"This is a case where public opinion is perhaps equally divided.
"In my judgment it is a case that should be tried before the people of Queens County and the jury should be representative of the diversity of our county," Mr Brown said.
Changes of venue have been controversial, as in the 1999 killing of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo, who was shot at 41 times by four New York police officers.
Those officers were acquitted of murder in 2000 after the trial was moved outside the city.
The shooting and verdict sparked big demonstrations in protest at police brutality and racial profiling that resulted in hundreds of arrests.
In the 1991 Los Angeles police beating of black motorist Rodney King, a venue change led to days of violent rioting when the white officers were acquitted in an affluent suburb.
New York had put 1,700 officers on alert in anticipation of the announcement of the grand jury's decision. "Heaven help us all if our call for justice is not answered," said city councillor James Sanders.
"It's conceivable that we will have a Los Angeles-type rising." Police commissioner Raymond Kelly vowed that the police department would "redouble its efforts to build the best possible relations with all of New York City's diverse communities".
The two indicted for manslaughter were Gescard Isnora, an undercover detective accused of firing the first shot and 11 in all, and Det Mike Oliver, accused of firing 31 shots by emptying his gun, reloading, and emptying it again.
Det Marc Cooper, who fired four times, was charged with reckless endangerment.