Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 17, Episode 5 - Community Policing - full transcript

_

In the criminal justice
system, sexually based offenses

are considered
especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious
felonies are members

are members of an elite squad

known
as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

Another push-in rape?

Looks like it, Lieutenant.

Guy follows the wife into her apartment
around 11:00 intending to rape her.



Husband comes home,
gets pistol-whipped.

Just like the one
on Frederick Douglass.

Worse.
He stayed longer this time.

We got the call
a little after 6:00 a.m.

Suspect left them tied up.

Wife used voice-activated Siri
to call 911.

- Good for her.
- Uh-huh.

So she's still conscious?

They're working on her.

Doom, Campesi,
twice in two weeks.

Long, hot summer.

They're working on the wife,
Cynthia Harris, in there.

She give a description?

Not yet.
EMTs are just finishing.



Mrs. Harris?
Hi, I'm Lieutenant Benson.

Can you tell me anything
about the man

who did this to you?

He was, um, black, tall.

Hold on.

My daughter.
Oh, my God.

- Do you have my daughter?
- Your daughter?

Sophie, she was at
a sleepover down the hall.

She got homesick
and she came home early.

I think he took her.

A sleepover?
How old is your daughter?

- She's 12.
- Okay,

let's get her out of here, guys.

We're gonna find her.
We're gonna find her.

No videos.
No witnesses so far.

All right, he took
their 12-year-old daughter.

Probably didn't want to be seen
dragging her out

in broad daylight, so let's
lock the building down now.

On it.

Clear down here.

Roof's clear.

Anything?

Storage room is clear.

Clear in the hallway.

- Check over there.
- Right away.

Clear here.

Clear!

Hey!

Hey, I found her!
Call a bus!

Sophie, are you okay?

Are you all right?
Come on.

Come on.
I got you, come on.

Come on, I got you.

Hey!
I need a gurney over here!

Come on!
Come on.

We got you, Sophie,
we got you.

- Where's my mommy and my daddy?
- They're okay. They're okay.

You gonna be fine, Sophie.

All right, I'll ride with her.

Find this guy.

Hey. Sexual assault,
secondary trauma.

Busy night. I have a husband
and wife being worked on.

Yeah, those are her parents.

Oh, my God.

Sophie, Dr. Patel is gonna
take care of you, okay, sweetie?

Get her in that bay.

All right, you're gonna be
just fine.

Lieutenant Benson,
how are the vics?

Alive.

Same M.O. as last week?

Apparently,
looks like we have a bad guy

working your precinct.

I mean, we're gonna run the DNA,
but I...

You're still short-staffed,
right?

Whatever you need, just ask.

Vertical patrols,
get last week's sketch out.

Okay, how about I address
your next roll call?

Also, I'm gonna need to borrow
a couple of detectives

to interview the vics
when they're ready to talk.

- You got it.
- Thank you.

I need to see
Cynthia and Sophie.

Doctors are with them,
Mr. Harris.

Right now, just tell us
what you remember.

It's fuzzy.

I was knocked out.

Take your time.

I get home from work late.

He comes out
with a gun to Cynthia's head.

Pistol-whips me.

Makes her tie me up.

Then he rapes her.

Can you describe him?

Big, black, late 20s.

What about his hair?

Anything about the clothes
he was wearing?

Uh, bit of an afro,
some kind of a team jersey.

Is this the man you saw?

Maybe.

That the push-in rapist?

My brother warned me about him.

Who's your brother?

He's on the job,
the one-two.

You haven't caught
this guy yet?

I didn't see him
in the hallway,

but he was right behind me.
He pushed me inside.

Did he have a gun?

Yes.

I gave him my purse,
my PIN number.

I just... I did
whatever he told me to,

but I was worried
about my husband coming home,

that...

I should have screamed.
I should have warned Alec!

Cynthia,
he could have killed you.

You survived.

Your husband survived.

Your daughter survived.

Okay. Okay.

Excuse me, we need to start
the rape kit now.

Okay.

_

Hey, how are the vics?

Not great.
He made the husband watch?

- Yeah.
- Son of a bitch.

Then he rapes
the little girl too?

Some of our guys
know the husband's brother.

He's good police.

God help this guy
when we catch him.

Yeah.

- You get a DNA hit yet?
- I don't think so.

Detective Rollins is
leaning on the M.E.

Rollins?
Oh, she's sharp.

Yeah, we worked a case
together out in Brooklyn

a few years back.
Kind of hit it off.

Oh, did you?

Yeah.
Maybe I'll just go say hello.

Detective Rollins.

Doom, how are ya?

I'm good. I'm good.
Congratulations.

Who's the lucky dad?
Someone I know?

I don't think so.

All right, attention.
We got a lot to cover.

Captain Reece.

You've heard
about our pattern rapist,

so I won't waste any time.

SVU is here to walk you
through the relevant details.

Lieutenant Benson?

So last night,
a push-in rape occurred

about three blocks
from the one a week ago.

Perp had a gun
and he assaulted each member.

And yes, the victims are
related to a brother officer.

This is family.

Detective Rollins.

Look, the first vic
worked up this sketch.

Now, we're still waiting
for the DNA

from last night's attacks,

but one of the vics did give us
details that do match this.

Now, he took
the wife's credit cards,

so we have flagged them.
We've left 'em open.

Canvass the neighborhood.
Lean on your Cls.

I got no problems
with stop-and-frisk tonight.

He's hit our precinct
twice this week.

He has to have roots here.
Someone knows him.

Remember, he's armed,
extremely dangerous,

looking at serious time.

I know it's hot.
Keep your vests on.

Time, distance, cover
are your friends.

I don't care if this scumbag
makes it through the night.

I care if you do.
Understood?

All: Understood.
- Yes, sir.

All right, let's hit it.

Gentlemen, want to slide
over here right quick?

Nah, nah, man.
Stop-and-frisk is over.

Stopand-shut-up isn't.

You seen this guy?

Why?
You gonna shoot him?

Look again.

I know ten brothers
who look like that.

Start naming 'em.

Excuse me, ma'am, would you
mind looking at this photo?

Why am I being harassed?
I'm just walking.

Okay, just put a name
to the face

and then we'll move on.

Am I under arrest?
Otherwise,

I don't have to answer
your questions.

Okay, Ma'am, he raped
a 12-year-old girl.

You don't want him
on the street.

- Yo, you've seen this guy?
- I don't know him.

How about you look
at the sketch first,

then answer?

How about you, bro?
You seen this guy?

He may have been here
about half an hour ago.

He had one of them
throwback jerseys on.

Number 23.

And you're sure
you haven't seen this man?

No. I wish
I could help you,

but I've never seen
that man before.

Thank you, sir.

Well, that was useless.

- What are we, 0 for 6?
- Hold on, maybe not.

Rollins just got a hit
on the bank card.

This the guy?

Yeah. I got it right here.

Okay, how long ago was this?

Maybe 15 minutes.

Hard to see his face.

You got anything else?

No, but I see him.
Took out $200.

He wanted more,
but I told him that was the max.

I thought he was gonna
shoot me.

He had a gun?

I saw something
on his right side.

Lock the neighborhood down.

Central, form a perimeter
around 131st Street.

Let transit know perp was
last seen 15 minute ago.

- We're on it.
- Okay, good.

Have unis lock down any ATMs
in their sector.

He maxed out here,
but he could be trying others.

You got it.

Spotted him?

Yeah, he was in the bodega
15 minutes ago.

10-13. Suspect headed south
on Frederick Douglass and 129

toward the projects.

That's the Clayton Powell
houses.

Central, get aviation up.

- Let's move.
- Copy that, Air 2 on the way.

Halt!
Freeze!

Stop!
Police!

Crossed 127,
running west to the projects!

There he is, right there!

Right there! Go, go!
Cut him off! Cut him off!

- I'm sorry.
- Go, go, go!

Call it in.

Shots fired,
Clayton Powell houses.

Hey.

Is everyone all right?

We got him.
We got the bastard.

He was going for his gun.

Okay, secure the scene now.
Carisi, get his weapon.

Check for vitals.

Got the gun?

Clear.

- Where's his gun?
- I don't see it.

Carisi, where's the weapon?

I got keys.
He's barely breathing, looks...

Where's his gun?
The bus is on its way.

Jesus...

Why these guys gotta be
shooting 'em all the time?

You show me the gun!

He reached for a weapon.
I saw.

Okay, start looking.
He must have tossed it.

He was shooting at us.
I heard it.

Don't say a word.

Hey, I got a wallet.

Okay.

I got cash.

No credit or ATM cards.
Just driver's license,

says his name is
Terrence Reynolds, 22 years old.

Lives here on the fifth floor.

Hey. Y'all just gonna
leave him there?

Cops shoot another unarmed
black man then leave him to die?

Why are you so worried
about a man

- who just raped a child?
- Hey.

Okay, take it easy.

Ambulance is on the way, ma'am.

Your guys need
to turn over their guns

and they all need to get
to the hospital.

For a blood alcohol
and tox screen.

- I know the drill.
- Okay.

I'm gonna need your weapons.

It was a good shoot, Captain.

He ran.
He was taking cover.

Stop talking, Detective.

Say nothing to anyone.
Wait for your delegate.

I'll take your guns over here.

Get his name to Real Time.

See if they have
anything on him.

Confiscate phones.

Somebody could have
gotten this on video.

This crowd isn't gonna help us.

Well, convince them otherwise.

Where the hell's the bus?
He's slipping away.

Okay, the bus is on its way.

They're coming.
Listen, I'm gonna stay with him.

You go search the building.

Shouldn't I wait for a warrant?

Yeah, I'm gonna call one in.

Okay, in the meantime,
just get creative, okay?

He stole their money.
He stole

their credit cards,
their jewelry.

We need to tie him
to those rapes ASAP.

All right.

Where does Terrence
keep his stuff?

- Don't you need a warrant?
- It'll be here any second.

Why?
You got something to hide?

Was that Terrence
who got shot? Why?

He ran.

Can I look in here?

Yes or no? What's in here
that you don't want me to see?

It ain't even mine.
Go ahead and look, man.

How well do you know
your roommate?

We met, like, three months ago
on Craigslist.

He's a quiet dude.

Okay.
Well, he's got pills here.

He's got a few joints.
This gives me probable cause

to search this whole place.
You get that, right?

- No.
- You covering for him?

That makes you an accessory
to the rape

of a 12-year-old girl.
Were you in on that?

Nnno. No.
Look wherever you want, man.

Where was he last night?

I don't know, I was working.
You can ask my boss.

Believe me, I will.

Your roommate cut his hair
recently?

Nah, man.
He always had a fade.

Penny ante drug possession
doesn't help me, Carisi.

No stolen credit cards?

Yes, the warrant is on its way.

Get CSU up there.
Look for blood,

the vic's DNA, everything.
Let's go.

Tucker.

What, do you sleep with a radio
under your pillow?

I don't need one.

Police shoot another
young black man, word travels.

Is that them?

Yes. Everything's being
taken care of.

All right.
I understand they have

48 hours to talk to IAB
and give their statements,

but if they take all 48, your
precinct's gonna be on fire.

I'll talk to 'em.

Not without me, you won't.

Ms. Denzler.

Detective's Endowment moving
quickly also, huh?

If you're here, Tucker,
I'm here.

Easy, guys, we're all
on the same team, right?

We were told
that our son was here.

- Terrence Reynolds.
- Mrs. Reynolds...

We got a call saying
that he was shot.

He was.
He's in surgery now.

- What happened?
- We're still investigating.

What we do know is that your son
led the police on a foot chase.

Wait, the police shot him?

Do you know anything about your
son's whereabouts last night?

- No, he doesn't live with us.
- You shot him?

Why would you shoot him?

Calm down.
Calm down.

- Is that his doctor?
- That's one of them.

I'm so sorry.

No.

No, not my son.

No.

No.

I saw him on TV.
That's the guy.

Okay, well, hold on,
take your time.

We need to make sure,
so look at them all.

No, no, it's him.
His hair's a little bit shorter,

but it's him.

That one looks
a little like him

but he's... he's young
in that photo.

Is it old?

No, it's current.

I'm...

I'm sorry, I think he was older
and tougher-looking than him.

Okay.

Thank you so much
for coming in.

You get an ID?

Not really. Rollins?

Immediately, picked Terrence
right out of the gate.

It's 50/50.

Three cops who thought he was
pulling a gun that we can't find.

Three cops we know,
that we've worked with.

I mean,
Doom is rock-solid.

Okay, Carisi,
bring in last week's vic.

Show her a photo array.

Go over every video
from the shooting.

Maybe he tosses the gun.

And Rollins,
where the hell is that DNA?

It just went down to the lab.

So follow it.
Test it yourself if you have to.

_

Terrence Reynolds
fit the description

of the rapist we were pursuing.

Did you identify yourself?

Yes, and then the suspect fled.

At what point did you find it
necessary to fire your weapon?

When the suspect took cover
in a doorway

and pulled something
out of his waistband.

At that moment,
I clearly felt that my life

and the lives of my fellow
officers were in danger.

Why did you feel that way?

He fled without cause.

We gave chase, and when we
subsequently cornered him,

he reached for something that I
had reason to believe was a gun.

Did you see it?

We were told
the suspect was armed.

I felt my life and the lives
of my fellow officers

were in danger.

So you emptied your clip?

No, I fired three times.

Your two fellow officers
emptied their clips.

Why did you stop at three?

Uh, I didn't have as good
a visual on him as they did.

Oh, you didn't?

And yet you knew he was armed
at the time you fired?

I felt my life and the lives of
my fellow officers were in danger.

Are we good?

Almost.
One more thing.

Your story, besides the amount
of shots you fired,

is remarkably consistent

with that of your
fellow officers.

The truth is consistent,
Lieutenant.

Maybe, but usually
it's not verbatim.

Next time you prep your people,

tell 'em to use
their own words.

I'll take that
under advisement.

Please do.

I'll be right back.

Showing up in person.
Bad news?

I didn't want to put it
in writing.

Bad ID on the first vic?

It's worse.

The DNA came back.

The two push-ins are a match,
but our perp...

whoever he is...
isn't Terrence Reynolds.

So our rapist
is still out there,

and more to the point...

These three officers
killed an innocent man.

How many more?

How many more times
must we mourn the death

of an innocent black youth

at the hands of those who were
sworn to serve and protect?

How many more have to die?

No more! No more!

No more! No more!

So the whole city's on boil.

I have to convene a grand jury.

The DA says it's
my last chance to work my way

back into the good graces
of City Hall.

So they're hanging you
out to dry.

Politicians want an indictment.

The DA wants an indictment.
If I fail to get it, it's on me.

So you'll push for one,

even though those officers
were just doing their jobs?

Their jobs?

They fired at an unarmed
college student 35 times.

We were in hot pursuit
of a dangerous rapist.

Terrence matched the BOLO
down to his jersey, he ran...

A black man
in a basketball jersey

runs when he gets stopped
by the police?

You're right, he deserves
the death penalty.

That's not what I'm saying.

It's not?

Counselor...
and Lieutenant Benson.

I trust you're here to
assure our friend Mr. Barba

that this was a good shooting?

Or does this relate
to the serial rapist

you haven't caught yet?

Actually...

Actually, I was just leaving.

NYPD's PR czar waltzes
into my office.

This must be my lucky day.

What does the Commissioner
want now?

I know City Hall
has their agenda,

but what we want...
what the city needs... is clarity.

- Clarity?
- These cops were chasing down

an armed suspect
who raped a 12-year-old.

Get ahead of it.

Explain why New York isn't
Baltimore or Ferguson.

Or Cleveland or Los Angeles
or Staten Island.

You see the problem?
There's a pattern.

This wasn't a part of it.

The sooner the grand jury
clears these three,

the sooner the city
can begin to heal.

Used to be a rush to judgment.
Now it's a rush to heal.

Mr. Barba, Reverend Curtis
would like to speak with you.

I'll call him back.

Actually, he's here.

Mr. Barba.

Reverend Curtis.
Counselor Henderson.

Deputy Commissioner,

glad to see you've
taken an interest.

Always.

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, on behalf
of the Police Commissioner,

I would like to express
our sincerest condolences.

Thank you.

I was just telling
Mr. Barba,

the Commissioner wants a full
and thorough investigation

to ensure justice is served.

I'm sure he does, as do we.

Now, you're the first
to hear this.

NYPD is suspending
the officers involved.

- Without pay?
- That's a union issue.

I'll leave you
in the very capable hands

of the ADA.

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds,
please.

They've put you
in the hot seat, Mr. Barba.

I just want to get
to the truth.

We all do.

Unfortunately, recent
grand juries have been rigged,

so our community has
lost faith in the process.

This process is
going to be different.

We're here to ensure that.
We're going to be proactive.

Inciting the public
will not help.

That's not our intention.

The last thing we want
is more violence.

We're going to conduct
a parallel investigation,

an independent autopsy.

We want to offer
another avenue for people

who might not feel comfortable
talking with law enforcement.

Okay, I appreciate that,

and I'd also appreciate
any evidence you find

coming directly to me.

Let's not play this out
in the press.

My job is to advocate
for the family.

I will do whatever is
in their best interest.

And that interest,
for all of us, is justice.

As it is for all of us.

Thank you for coming in.

Again,
Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds,

we are all very sorry
for your loss.

Thank you.

I know you're tired of this Kabuki,
Rafael, and so am I.

This year alone,
almost 700 people

have been shot and killed
by the police.

Now, that won't stop until
cities start to send a message.

I can't imagine the pressure
that you're under.

Please,
do the right thing here.

We find out
about our suspension

by hearing it on the news?
A lot of respect.

Get used to it.

City Hall's looking
for sacrificial lambs.

Hey.

Detective Rollins.

Detective Donlan.
Detective.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

- She came to meet me.
- Well, I was just leaving.

Yeah, and I got my wife
and kids crying at home.

Your first?

Yeah.

Good luck.

Thanks.

- Sorry about those guys.
- It's all right.

You guys are
under a lot of stress.

Yeah.

About that...

You know Barba.

Any idea where he's
going with this?

Honestly, I don't.

Your Lieutenant, Fin, and
Carisi were all on the scene.

SVU's got our back, right?

We know you're good cops.

He was cornered.

His hand went to his waist.

That's when you use
deadly force.

He was guilty of something.
Why else would he run?

Maybe it's best not to talk
about this... in public.

Come on, how about I
give you a lift home?

You think I'm drunk?

Mm.

I'm fine.

What difference does it make?

They're gonna hang us,
aren't they?

Mr. Barba,
you didn't have to come down.

Yeah, I did.

I read your report.

Look, I know this is
a tragic situation,

but like it says,
they're not bad apples.

No charges of excessive force.
No accusations of racism.

And commendations
for integrity,

meritorious police duty.

So even our best and brightest
are gunning down innocents.

They believed the suspect
had a weapon

and was a threat
to themselves and civilians.

It's all in our report.

Yes, I know.

I watched the deposition
as well.

There appears to be a gap.

You said, "One more thing,"
then it cut out.

A glitch?

No, I... we thought
that they just sounded

a little over-coached.

Overcoached, or coached to lie?

The former.

They each quoted verbatim
the legal definition

of the necessary use of force.

We hear that a lot.
Lawyers.

Bottom line,
if I was in their shoes,

I'd have fired too.

35 times?

Amanda.

Wha...

Declan, what are you
doing here?

How far along are you?

I'm 4,000 miles away in Serbia

trying to take down
a sex-trafficking ring.

I still heard about it.

Seven months.

It's that weekend
back in February, the blizzard?

Yeah.

It's mine?

When were you gonna tell me,
darling?

Well, like you just said,
you were 4,000 miles away.

Didn't really know
how to get ahold of you.

Fair enough, but I'm here now.

For how long?

Can't say.

That's why I didn't
bother you with it.

I mean, you don't have time
to worry about it.

I'm not worried.

Okay, but it's gonna be okay.

My... my mom's coming up,
um...

it's... it's my...
my decision.

Don't worry, it's not
your responsibility.

But it is.
We got to talk.

I'm not just gonna walk away.
You know that.

Okay.

We'll talk.

Right now,
I got to get upstairs.

It'll be fine.

Right now there's a lot going on
that I got to deal with.

We'll talk.

That's my phone.

You call that number,
I'm on a plane in an hour.

The grand jury starts tomorrow.

My advice: Make sure your guys...
and your guys, especially...

tell the truth
in their own words.

If they sound coached
or too legalistic...

They'll do fine.
It's a tragedy...

But it was a good shoot.

Tom Wolfe is right.

Sooner or later,
all cops become Irish.

Look, I don't get
to voir dire a grand jury.

It's the first 23
through the door,

and everyone on that panel
will have heard about this case.

Some of them will think
cops are never guilty.

Some will see this
through the prism

of Ferguson or Baltimore.

This is different.

You think so, but all it takes
is 12 votes to indict.

- Mr. Barba.
- I said no interruptions.

I know, but...

Thank you for coming today.

I'd like to warn you
that what you are about to see

is as graphic as it is tragic.

We've obtained
cell phone footage

of Terrence Reynolds running
for his life from the police.

A resident of the building
across the way

took it from his window.

Here we see Terrence
desperately trying to open

a locked door
while reaching for his keys.

Stop!

Hands where I can see 'em!

He attempts to put
his hands up,

turning towards the officer
to comply with his commands.

The officers begin
firing their weapons.

Here it is in slow motion.

Watch closely.

He keeps trying
to put his hands up

even after his body
hits the ground,

but the officers
just continue to fire

until the ninth and final
bullet pierces his body.

This changes things.

Doesn't change a damn thing.

It does.
It's out there.

Hold on.

I know this looks bad,

but this is not the angle
that they had.

If it were, of course they
would never have taken the shot.

They were in the heat
of the chase.

It was dark.
They were in the projects.

They were following procedure.

They were doing what any cop

would have done
in their situation.

Any cop? Even you?

Anyone who's seen
the smoking guns video knows

that Terrence Reynolds
was shot in cold blood

for the crime
of running while black.

These police officers put their
lives in danger to protect all of us.

- The only comment I have...
- Terrence's murderers will have

the right to counsel,
the right to trial.

Terrence was deprived
of those rights.

In one instant,
these three officers

were his judge, jury,
and executioner.

_

When we arrived at the bodega,

we secured a security still
of the suspect

which closely matched
our sketch of the rapist.

In this security photo,
as well as the sketch,

the suspect clearly
has an afro.

Terrence Reynolds' hair
was short-cropped.

With the cap,
it's hard to tell,

but they both wore
a distinctive basketball jersey.

Just to be clear,
Terrence Reynolds...

the man who was killed
by police gunfire...

was not the man at this ATM?

No, but at the time,

we had no way of knowing that.

The 10-13 that came in
said the suspect

was running towards
the Clayton Powell houses.

And what is a 10-13?

Officer in need of assistance.

Any cop hears that, he drops
what he's doing, he responds.

To your knowledge,
was any officer

actually in danger
at that moment?

They were on the heels
of someone they believed to be

an armed and violent rapist,

so, yeah, that would
constitute danger.

If the suspect was much younger

than the actual rapist,
unarmed, and innocent,

what would that constitute?

Hindsight.

Is that what you would say
to Mr. Reynolds' family?

Terrence was a good son.

He, um, was working part-time
at an animal hospital

while he was
going for his degree.

Has your son ever been charged
with a crime, Mr. Reynolds?

He'd been ticketed a few times.

Once for running a stop sign
on his bicycle.

Uh, once for possession
of a joint.

Nothing violent?

No. Never.

Why do you think
he ran that night

when the cops stopped him?

In our neighborhood,
relations with the police

are not good.

Many of Terrence's friends
get arrested for no reason.

They can't make bail.
They lose their jobs.

My son didn't do
anything wrong,

but he knew that wouldn't
make a difference.

He was just trying to go home.

When the suspect
hid in the doorway,

he moved his hand
towards his belt

in a way that indicated he
might be reaching for a weapon.

In no way is this
reckless endangerment.

In no way is this
criminally negligent homicide.

If it were me,
I would have believed

that our lives and the lives
of bystanders were in danger.

I would have done
what my officers did.

Your officers
made the assumption

that he's reaching for a gun
and not his keys?

They're trained to assess
the situation by experience.

In this case, they were told
the suspect had a weapon.

So, yes.

Would the assumption
have been different

if they'd been chasing
a young white woman

or a man in a suit?

Well, that's not
a fair comparison.

The officers were in pursuit
of Mr. Reynolds

because he matched
the description

of a dangerous rapist.

Lieutenant,

how many rape suspects have
you chased in your career?

I don't know.
Uh, a hundred?

And how many times
have you believed

your life could be in danger?

Would dozens be
a fair estimate?

Okay.

According to your file,
you've shot two such suspects.

Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct.

So you've had dozens
of suspects run

even pull weapons on you...

yet, time and again,
you've chosen not to shoot.

Terrence Reynolds was shot.
Why?

In my opinion, all police
procedures were followed.

He was not facing them.

Could they have waited,
called for backup?

They were also wearing vests.

Could they have waited
even half a second?

Waited for what?

For their partner to get shot?

For their own head
to get blown off?

They followed procedure.

I cannot speak to what I would
have done in that situation

because I was not
in the line of fire.

Neither were any
of the officers.

I'll ask again:

Can you think of any option
these officers had

besides shooting
Terrence Reynolds?

In my opinion, all police
procedures were followed.

The victims of the rapist
you believed you were pursuing

were family members
of a police officer.

Could that have influenced
your decision to shoot?

We were told he had a gun

on the right side
of his waistband.

I shot because I thought
the suspect

was reaching for that gun.

But you didn't see a gun.

I saw him reach
for his waistband.

He was turning
toward Officer Dumas.

I was in fear for his life
and mine.

That's when instinct took over.

You fired 16 times,
emptying your magazine

even after Terrence Reynolds
was on the ground.

Why?

We are trained to shoot
until we perceive

that there is
no longer a threat.

In the chaos,
with bullets ricocheting,

you fire
until the shooting stops.

So you, Detective Campesi,
and Sergeant Donlan,

all thought the suspect
was reaching for a gun?

You all thought your lives
were in danger?

Yes.

The only difference being,
Detective Dumas,

you fired just three shots.

Why's that?

As I said,
the situation was chaotic,

but I and my fellow officers
followed procedure.

Just to clarify for the jury,

I'd like to show a video
taken by a bystander.

Stop!

Hands where I can see 'em!

Do you recall this moment,
Detective?

Yes.

Your fellow officers
continued firing

after the suspect was down.

We still didn't see his hands.

We still had reason to believe
that he was armed.

So why did you stop firing?

Again, I didn't have the angle
that you have here now.

Could it have been
that you perceived

that the threat
had been eliminated?

I guess.

You guess?

Is it possible you had
second thoughts?

Do you think you should have
waited to determine

whether Terrence Reynolds
was, in fact, armed?

Was, in fact, an actual threat?

I don't know.
He was turning.

He was turning
but you didn't see a gun,

and that's why
you stopped firing.

Isn't it, Detective?

I...I don't know.

If you and your fellow officers

had waited
half a second longer,

Terrence Reynolds
would be alive today.

Would you agree with that?

Yes.

Hey.
How'd it go up there?

I can't talk about it.
Neither can you.

But Barba knows
what he's doing, right?

Yeah, he does.

She's in a mood.

Yeah.
Well, we all are.

_

You have in front of you
the charges

of reckless endangerment
in the first degree

or criminally negligent
homicide.

Before we vote, is it possible

for us to indict
on more serious charges?

Excuse me?

Well, I don't think
we're looking

at recklessness or negligence.

I...I think we're looking
at murder here.

Can... can we bring
a charge like that?

That is within your purview,

but I would like
the grand jury to understand

that in order to prove
manslaughter one or above,

you have to prove intent.

That's a much higher
legal standard

requiring an increased level
of mens rea...

intent versus negligence.

Well, I'd like you
to explain that standard.

You know, for manslaughter,
murder, whatever.

You know, walk us
through everything.

I can, but before I do,
I'd like to see a show of hands.

How many of you
would like to hear

a definition of those charges?

We are extremely gratified

that the grand jury has decided
to indict Sergeant Donlan

and Detective Campesi
on manslaughter one,

and Detective Dumas
on reckless endangerment.

This is just the first step
toward justice for Terrence.

We will continue to do
everything we can

to make sure these officers
are held accountable.

Would the parents like
to make a statement?

Obviously, we are pleased
with the indictments.

This is just the beginning
of a long trial.

Well, the DA did
what City Hall wanted...

Blame the cops, keep the peace.

It's just an indictment.
It's not going anywhere.

Son of a bitch, Barba.

Good luck next time
he needs a cop.

Eh, this might not
all be on Barba.

Upping the charges?

Sounds to me like he had
a runaway grand jury.

Runaway my ass.

Barba led and they followed.

Hey, well, the good thing is,
if this does go to trial,

there's no way
they can prove intent.

After what happened today,

you're gonna trust
a New York jury?

What are you
worried about, Doom?

Excuse me?

You want to tell me
what you said up there

that you only got
reckless endangerment?

- Hey, easy...
- Huh? And I want to know

what your lieutenant said
up there, too!

- That's enough!
- Guys!

Guys, this is not the time.

_

Hey.
What's his status?

He...he didn't make it.
He was shot in the face.

They couldn't do
anything for him.

Traffic stop gone bad.
They got the shooter.

That the wife?

Yeah. Two kids, 24.

A rookie.

Does it get any worse?

It might.
The Mayor's on his way up.