By Ivan Pereira
In testimony before Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman Tuesday, Jean Nelson recounted what happened when he went out with Bell and other friends to celebrate Bell's bachelor party at the Kalua Cabaret in Jamaica. Nelson said that around 4 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2006 his entourage encountered a man dressed in black standing near his SUV who loudly threatened Bell outside the strip club.”I'm going to shoot you all, back up,” the driver of the SUV shouted at Bell, according to Nelson.Fabio Coicou, the SUV driver, testified at the trial March 19 that he had argued with Bell as he waited to go home with his girlfriend, a Kalua stripper. Coicou's threats angered Bell and a friend James Kollore, and both threatened to “take that gun off ” him in response, Nelson told the judge. Nelson said he was afraid that Bell, 23, was going to get hurt and diffused the situation by reminding him of his pending nuptials to his high school sweetheart, Nicole Paultre.”Sean, let's get going. You're going to get married tomorrow. You don't need this trouble,” Neslon recounted telling his friend.Defense attorneys claim Coicou was a suspected pimp who may have been armed that night, but Coicou denied both allegations during his testimony at the non-jury trial.Minutes later, five undercover officers approached Bell, and two friends, Trent Benefield, 24, and Joseph Guzman, 32, down the block at the corner of Liverpool Street and 94th Avenue to question him about the gun when the bridegroom rammed his Nissan Altima into one of the detectives, Gescard Isnora, and an unmarked police van.The undercover officers fired 50 shots at the trio, killing Bell and wounding Benefield and Guzman.No weapon was ever found in the vehicle. Last March prosecutors charged Isnora, who opened fire first and shot 11 times, and Detective Michael Oliver, who fired 31 shots and reloaded, with manslaughter in Bell's death. Detective Marc Cooper, who fired four shots, was charged with reckless endangerment. The two other officers were not indicted.Prosecutors contend that Isnora, Oliver and Cooper never identified themselves as police officers when they approached Bell's car. Nelson, who said he was standing on the other side of the street from the Altima, testified that he witnessed Isnora approach the driver's side with his gun already drawn and only told Bell that he wanted to “holler,” or speak to him, before the shooting began.Last Thursday, prosecutors read Isnora's January 2007 testimony to a Queens grand jury which told a different story. The seven-year NYPD veteran recalled shouting “Police, don't move; police, don't move” before he was struck by Bell's sedan.The testimony also revealed that Isnora regretted his actions and felt remorse for Bell and his friends.”I pray for the individuals for what happened that night,” he told the grand jury. “It was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”Oliver's grand jury testimony was read to the court Monday, and although he claimed he never heard his partner yell “Police” when his undercover van approached the corner, the 14-year veteran heard his partner shout “He's got a gun.”Oliver testified before the grand jury that he got out of the van and yelled “Police” when he thought he saw Guzman, who was sitting in the passenger seat, reach for a gun.”I didn't want to die,” he told the grand jury. “I continued to fire at the passenger because I didn't want him to raise his arm and shoot me.”Guzman and Benefield were expected to tell their side of the story by the end of the week when they could be the prosecution's final witnesses.Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
