The following is a statement by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. on the shooting of Sean Bell this weekend:

All New Yorkers join me in extending my sympathy to the family and loved ones of Sean Bell. Sean died and his two friends were injured in a tragic shooting that has left many New Yorkers – including me - stunned and outraged at what appears to be a horrific and unjustified use of force by the police.

No one can bring Sean back, but we must try to do all we can to make some sense of this tragedy.  I urge District Attorney Brown to move expeditiously to deliver justice to the victims and their families.

I urge Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly to swiftly convene a panel of elected officials and local leaders to help us better understand the police department’s training protocols related to the use of force, as well as to gain insight into how these protocols and training may or may not be modified to prevent an incident such as this from ever occurring again.

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