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The shooting stemmed from an undercover operation that began 1 a.m. Saturday at the strip club Kalua Cabaret, part of a citywide crackdown sparked by the death of a teenager following a night of partying earlier this year at a Manhattan nightclub.
Police said they had received several complaints about prostitution and drug dealing at the cabaret and sent in two undercover detectives who left their guns behind because of searches at the door.
The detectives apparently spent the next few hours nursing drinks and mingling with the crowd.
Officials said the officers weren't impaired. "We authorize them to have two drinks, and not more," Kelly said.
One of the officers alerted the backup team outside that a man inside was possibly armed. An undercover detective retrieved his weapon and confronted Bell and his friends after they entered their car.
Kelly suggested that it was unorthodox for the officer to blow his cover rather than rely on other officers to make the arrest.
Union officials insist the detective took out his badge, identified himself and ordered the men to stop before the car, driven by Bell, lurched forward and bumped him. The vehicle then smashed into an unmarked police van, backed up and smashed the van again before the shooting began.
The crashes — along with the fear that one of the men had a gun — seem to be what escalated the situation to the hail of gunfire by five officers.
It is not immediately clear if the men in the car knew they were dealing with a police officer. Friends and family speculated Bell got spooked by the officer's gun pointed at his car.
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