Jason Mitchell’s Hollywood career forges ahead following sexual misconduct allegations and his troubles with the law.
The actor is set to executive produce and star in the biopic “50 Shots” from TruVision Films, in which he will play Sean Bell, the 23-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police officers in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006, per Urban Hollywood 411.
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Mitchell confirmed his involvement in the film in a video posted on Instagram. He said Bell’s father, William Bell, gave his “blessing” to move forward with the project.
“Today is a special day, a wonderful day in Queens,” Mitchell said. “My man, Mr. Bell gave us his blessing. My man Tru, he’s been working on this script for three years now… and yours truly is officially signed on to play Sean Bell.”
ell was unarmed when he was shot and killed by NYPD officers in a hail of 50-bullets on the night before his wedding. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded. The five officers who murdered Bell were later acquitted of all charges.
The officers involved in Bell’s case violated several NYPD protocols, according to retired NYPD Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues.
“Cops are not trained to fire their weapon that many times,” he said. “They’re trained to do two to three second burst then wait, and look, and assess, then shoot again if you have to.”
Pegues added, “Cops should lean on their training. “We need to hold them accountable for the training they already have, and if not, they should be responsible for what they do on the streets.”
“They need cultural training so they can understand how different communities live and new laws need to be put in place, enough is enough,” said Sean’s mother Valerie.
Bell’s father William said of the seemingly endless officer-involved shootings of unarmed Black Americans, “It keeps happening over and over again because they keep getting away with it.”
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