Sharpton: Bell Verdict 'Abortion of Justice'

Rev. Al Sharpton blasted today's acquittal of three NYPD officers who killed an unarmed man in a 50-slug fusillade in 2006, CNN reports. "Justice didn't miscarry," Sharpton said. "This was an abortion of justice. Justice was aborted." Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged citizens to respect the “authority” of the court; meanwhile, the Justice Department is considering civil-rights charges, Reuters reports.

A local NAACP official was slightly less passionate than Sharpton, saying, “this court, unfortunately, is bankrupt when it comes to justice for people of color.” Only one of the acquitted officers expressed remorse after the trial: Marc Cooper, who faced the least grave charges, said he was “sorry to the Bell family for the tragedy,” USA Today reports. (More Sean Bell stories.)