November 26, 2025
On Nov. 25, 2006, undercover NYPD officers fired a total of 50 rounds into the car carrying Sean Bell and his friends.
A new film, Aftershock: The Nicole P. Bell Story, brings the 2006 killing of Sean Bell by New York City police back to the forefront of the police brutality discourse.
The film is slated for a Nov. 28 release and focuses on the perspective of Nicole Paultre-Bell, who was Bell’s fiancée and the mother of his two children. Paultre-Bell reveals how she turned her private grief into a powerful, public movement after police bullets claimed Bell’s life hours before their wedding.
“With this movie, I am pleased to share my journey—a journey of resilience, hope, and the pursuit of justice,” Paultre-Bell said in a statement. “This movie retells my story of finding strength and fighting for accountability after the tragic loss of my husband-to-be and the father of my children. This is a collective experience shared by countless survivors—those who have lost loved ones to senseless violence and those who have fought tirelessly for accountability and civil reform. It’s a story of the strength that resides within each one of us, a strength that propels us forward even in the darkest of times”
On Nov. 25, 2006, undercover New York Police Department officers fired a total of 50 rounds into the car carrying Bell and his friends outside a Queens club. The 23-year-old, who was unarmed, died instantly. His friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, suffered severe injuries.
The officers in the shooting were absolved of all criminal charges in 2008. Refusing to let the injustice stand, Paultre-Bell channeled her heartache into an unwavering pursuit of systemic change. The film chronicles her decision to move beyond victim status as Paultre-Bell confronts the failures of the justice system. She is actively dedicating herself to being an example of resilience in the face of devastation.
After the theatre release, Aftershock: The Nicole P. Bell Story will be available on digital streaming platforms on Dec. 15. The goal to bring this powerful and emotional true story to a global audience and continue the conversation surrounding police brutality, grief, and strength in the aftermath of tragedy.
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