2 NYPD Detectives Charged with Manslaughter

New York, NY —

Two New York Police Department detectives surrendered Monday in the killing of an unarmed groom on his wedding day, and face a charge that would require jail time if they are convicted.

The eight-count indictment charges Detectives Michael Oliver, who fired 31 times, and Gerard Isnora, a decorated undercover who fired 11 bullets, with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the death of bridegroom Sean Bell, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said at a news conference.

First-degree manslaughter is classified as a violent felony with mandated jail time if the officers are convicted. The maximum punishment is 25 years, Brown said. Second-degree manslaughter gives a judge discretion to sentence a defendant to probation.

Detective Marc Cooper, who fired four shots, faces a misdemeanor endangerment charge in connection with the November incident.

All three officers surrendered around 7 a.m. to the NYPD's Bureau of Internal Affairs, then were whisked to the Queens court complex in black vehicles. A phalanx of plainclothes law enforcers and family members surrounded them as they were rushed into the building for fingerprinting and processing.

They were to be arraigned on Monday afternoon. "This grand jury acted in the most responsible and conscientious fashion," said Brown. "This was a case that was, I'm sure, not easy for them to resolve."