The prosecution has rested its case against three New York police officers in the death of an unarmed man in a hail of 50 police bullets on his wedding day.

The defense is expected to begin its case Thursday by calling to the witness stand an officer who fired his gun in the 2006 slaying of Sean Bell but wasn't charged.

The defendants say they believed Bell and his friends were about to get into a gun fight outside a bar where Bell had his bachelor party.

The officers say they gave ample warning before firing. That claim has been confirmed by some witnesses but disputed by others during the prosecution's presentation.