Actor Jason Mitchell is eager to help spread the story of Sean Bell, which is why he signed on to play him in an upcoming biopic called “50 Shots.” Sean was shot and killed in 2006 in Jamaica, Queens, New York by officers from the New York City Police Department, just hours before his wedding. He was 23 years old.
The biopic’s title is based on the 50 rounds that police fired at Sean as he was leaving a strip club, the location of his bachelor party, with his father and friends.
Mitchell, who played Eazy-E in the film “Straight Outta Compton,” is executive producing “50 Shots,” written and produced by Tru of TruVision Films. The project is currently in pre-production and has been in the works for three years.
TMZ reports that Mitchell first read for the role of an undercover cop but later asked to read for the part of Sean, wanting to help tell his story. The actor is said to be working closely with Sean’s father, William Bell, on the film.
On November 25, 2006, Sean held his bachelor party at the now-closed strip club Club Kalua. He left with friends around 2 a.m., and got into his Nissan Altima.
The men were eventually surrounded by a group of armed individuals, but Sean and his friends had no idea they were undercover cops, according to a testimony given at trial. So when Sean drove off to protect himself, police opened fire.
Officers were staking out Club Kalua that night, suspecting it was involved in prostitution and drug sales. Reportedly, one undercover officer alerted others to a potential altercation after believing one of Sean’s friends had a gun.
Sean was pronounced dead at the hospital after the shooting, while his friend Joseph Guzman was shot 11 times and left in critical condition. Another of Sean’s friends, Tent Benefield, was also shot but was in stable condition once arriving at the hospital.
The Bell family settled with New York City for a little over $7 million in 2010, however, the officers who fired their weapons were acquitted on all charges. Mitchell shared news of “50 Shots” Thursday, Aug. 20 on Instagram, and wrote, “I’d like to give thanks to God.. the Bell family and my f—-g guy @truvisionsfilms This is about to be epic.”
The announcement of “50 Shots” marks a return to entertainment for Mitchell, who was fired from Showtime’s “The Chi” last year after misconduct accusations were made against him by his former co-star Tiffany Boone.
