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Attorneys representing Sean Bell’s parents and his fiancée refuted Tuesday a published report claiming that a rift has developed between the two parties over the manner in which the case is being prosecuted.

“Make no mistake, these families are together in this quest for justice,” said Michael Hardy, attorney for Nicole Paultre Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield.

The New York Post reported Monday that William and Valerie Bell and Nicole Paultre Bell apparently disagree on the prosecution’s performance so far in the case against three NYPD detectives charged in the shooting that killed Bell on his wedding day and injured Guzman and Benefield in a barrage of 50 shots.

Paultre Bell issued a statement over the weekend thanking the assistant district attorneys assigned to the trial for their conduct and for how they’ve presented the case.
But according to the Daily News, Neville Mitchell, who represents the Bells, had a meeting last week with lead prosecutor Charles Testagrossa to address the family’s concerns that the case was not being tried with enough passion.

And the Post reported that Mitchell appeared over the weekend on a radio show and said he had “issues” with how the case was being presented.

After a short prayer vigil Tuesday outside Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens, Mitchell dismissed any rumors of acrimony between the two affected parties.

“There is no division, no dissention, no disagreement between Mr. and Mrs. Bell, Nicole Paultre Bell, or anyone in the family,” he said.

Mitchell went on to say, “We would hope that people stop treating this tragedy as sport.”

The press conference followed Tuesday morning testimony from two Port Authority police officers assigned to the elevated Jamaica AirTrain station which stands yards from Liverpool Street where the shooting took place.

The dramatic security footage played in court showed PAPD Officers John Cea and Brian Donnelly patrolling the platform in the early morning hours of Nov. 25, 2006. At 4:13:44 a.m. a single shot screamed through a window near where they were standing, scattering glass and a couple of travelers.

The gallery was riveted to the two large monitors hanging high on the wall behind Judge Arthur Cooperman as two passengers were seen cowering behind an AirTrain information pillar while the two cops ran for cover down a causeway, unsure of where the shot came from.

Both officers testified they heard shots being fired in rapid succession just seconds before the round that was later determined to have been fired from Det. Marc Cooper’s service weapon came crashing through the station.
“I heard ‘pop,’ then ‘pop-pop-pop,’” Donnelly said.
The former NYPD cop and five-year PAPD veteran testified that he noticed a slight pause – “half-a-second to a second” – and then four or five more shots. He then walked toward the window to see what had transpired.

“Then the window blows out in our faces,” Donnelly said. He also estimated he heard approximately 30 total shots and that the gunfire lasted “twenty to 30 seconds at the most.”
Donnelly later placed an AirTrain information pamphlet near the deformed bullet to alert the crime scene unit to the ballistic evidence.

Both Donnelly and Cea were injured during the incident. Glass dust became embedded in Donnelly’s head and face, and he missed more than a year of duty due to a sprained upper lumbar and torn right rotator cuff. Cea suffered a sprained shoulder and wrist while ducking for cover.

Both Hardy and Mitchell keyed on the PAPD cops’ testimony.
“When you look at the video tape today, you see how the actions of these [NYPD] officers put [people] at risk,” Hardy said.

“Even after the glass shattered, neither one of those officers drew their weapon,” Mitchell pointed out as he compared the decisions of the PAPD officers to those of the detectives on the ground involved in the incident. “That’s what we’re talking about when we talk about independent assessment.”

Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard “Jesse” Isnora are each charged with manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment. Cooper is charged with two counts reckless endangerment.