During the trial of the four officers involved with the death of Amadou Diallo, defense attorney Steven Brounstein told the jury, "A mistake happened ... A mistake caused by fear, fear of losing your life, fear that your colleagues have been shot. This is a tragedy - not a crime."

It was a tragedy caused because of circumstances beyond the control of four brave men, whose job required them to risk their lives on a daily basis. 

"I thought it was a gun," testified Officer Edward McMellon. "[Diallo] started turning and I heard Sean yell, 'He's got a gun!' I screamed 'What are you doing?' and I fired ... I didn't want to die." The other two officers, thinking their partners were in danger of being shot, fired 4-5 times each.  All four officers believed they were in grave danger.  Should they be expected to let themselves get killed if they think they're about to be shot?

As Officer Sean Carroll's lawyer explained to the jury, "They were squeezing the trigger as if their lives depended on it."  Only after the shooting ended did the officers realize Diallo was unarmed, and the shooting had been a tragic mistake.

"I looked down ... and I seen it was a wallet," Carroll testified. "I lifted up his shirt a few inches, and I observed two bullet holes to (Diallo's) lower midsection, and said 'Oh, my God.' I just held him, his hand. I rubbed his face, 'Please, don't die.'"

As New York Post columnist Steve Dunleavy said, "Verdicts don't change the law, they maintain our civilization." The jury in the Diallo case made the right decision, refusing to make a violent tragedy worse in a court of law.