CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE (2010)
(Suspenseful music
playing)
(Indistinct police radio)
(Police radio continues)
[Man over radio]: 5 lincoln 9
eastbound on 6th...
heading towards front in pursuit
of white oldsmobile cutlass.
Roger, 5 Lincoln. Charles Edward 12
is 3 minutes E.T.A.
Box in the suspect and
hold the perimeter.
[Man]:
Copy, Charles Edward 12.
- Listen, you heard what he said.
- And I'm not buying it.
- It's a retaliation shooting.
- Then let it happen.
Let 'em kill each other. Bang bang bang,
and we come in and clean up.
End of story.
That's exactly
what they expect you to do.
I can't believe you're listening
to his shit. He's a C.I.
- What difference does it make?
- He's a paid criminal informant.
- He'll say anything to cover his own ass.
- Fuck you, man.
His handler was shot dead tonight.
How do we know he didn't set up the hit?
- That's bullshit, man.
- You saw the sheet.
This kid Michael Pips
had priors.
He found out
Jacobs was undercover,
picked up a 9mm and took
matters into his own hands.
- You're wrong! You're wrong!
- He didn't set up shit, man.
There was somebody else
in that park.
Somebody planned it on the other side...
One of your boys, man.
You witness this?
How am I gonna know
your boy was an undercover?
When he found out, he freaked.
He wasn't about to kill no cop.
Couple minutes later, somebody
come in, cut Jacobs down.
Now he's trying to pin it
on a rival gang.
Who was the shooter?
I'm not saying another word
till I speak to his D.A.
He doesn't know shit.
Look, our job is to
stop this from escalating.
He killed a cop! He's got a target
painted on him...
from every officer
in the field right now.
[Man over radio]:
Charles Edward 12, be advised:
Suspect vehicle is pinned, but there's
movement within the perimeter.
- (Gunfire popping)
- Shots firing! Shots firing!
(Tires squeal)
Officers need backup!
38th Cross street...
- put your head down!
- (Firing)
Put your head down!
Down down... Get down!
Keep your head down!
Come on.
Come on!
Quick with your leg!
Come on, man.
Come on.
Hey hey. Hey!
Freeze!
Tino, hey!
Come on, breathe!
- (Gunfire stops)
- Suspect down! Suspect is down!
Breathe!
Cover me! Cover me!
[Shepherd]:
Breathe! Come on!
Fuck.
We're clear!
Need an E.M.T.!
Shepherd!
- Where's our paramedics?
- Shepherd!
Rescue 1-6, we have two...
repeat...
- two G.S.W.S.
- Shepherd?
- What is your E.T.A.?
- Was he hit? Is it Pips?
No.
What's his status, detective?
He's gone.
S.W.A.T.'s on their way.
- What's their E.T.A.?
- They're still 10 minutes out.
You tell them there's plainclothes
within the perimeter.
- Whoa. What're you thinking?
- I'm going in.
Hey, wait for S.W.A.T., man. We don't know
how many shooters are in the vicinity.
This kid doesn't have
10 minutes, all right?
Shepherd, I can't let you
do this, man.
Hey, you want to stay, Briggs,
you stay.
Hold on!
You're not seriously
going in there, are you?
He's my partner.
Listen, you're our eyes and ears.
You maintain radio silence unless
you see movement on our position.
- You got it?
- Yep.
- They know we're here. Be smart.
- All right.
(Leaves rustling)
[Man]:
movement, tree line!
We're sitting ducks
out here, man!
- Cover me.
- No! They're trying to pin us down,
trying to beat us to Michael. We need
to make a move to the warehouse.
What?
Hey, listen to me.
Point every light you've got
on that tree line.
Every light you've got
on that tree line right now.
- [Man]: 10-4.
- Good. Don't stop.
Keep those lights moving.
You hear me?
Keep those lights moving.
(Gunshots continue)
You ready?
- Let's go!
- Fuckin' crazy.
- Clear left!
- Clear right!
Moving center.
- (Firing)
- Down down down down!
Police officers!
Drop the gun!
- (Radio static)
- Man, I didn't do this!
I didn't kill
that fuckin' cop!
Drop the fucking gun, Michael.
We have you surrounded.
Michael, I'm coming out.
Michael!
Michael, hey.
Hey, I'm unarmed.
- I just wanna talk.
- I didn't kill that fuckin' cop.
Man, I didn't do this.
We're here to help you.
Put the weapon down,
Michael, now!
Hey hey, eyes on me,
Michael.
Eyes on me! Okay?
Tell your boy to
put his gun down.
That's not gonna happen,
Michael.
Everybody, calm down!
Just lower your weapon, Briggs.
- No way.
- Do it, motherfucker!
- No way.
- Michael, we're not here to hurt you.
I promise. I give you my word:
We're not here to hurt you.
- Let's just talk.
- He's one of them, isn't he?
Just you and me.
No, he's not.
- He's fuckin' one of 'em, isn't he?
- No, he's not.
He's been with me
all night.
We're here to get you out.
You understand me?
I just need you to tell me
what you saw tonight.
Cops! I saw fuckin' cops!
- You saw cops on 6th street?
- That's what I said.
Okay. All right.
Back it down, detective.
How many cops did
you see, Michael?
I saw three of 'em!
All right. You saw three cops.
Can you identify them?
Stand down, detective!
Lower your weapon!
Look at him, Michael.
He's lowering his gun.
All right?
He's lowering his weapon.
Lower your weapon, Briggs.
Now i need you to tell me
you can identify these cops.
Yeah.
I seen 'em before.
Okay. All right.
That's good.
- Who else knows about this, Michael?
- Man, you tell me.
Hey! Hey, listen to me.
If there's somebody out there
that can back up your story,
We need to get them
into protective custody.
Look, we've got a car
standing by.
Alright? We're not gonna
bring you in here.
We're gonna take you to the feds...
The F.B.I., Michael.
They're gonna take you
into protective custody.
No one's gonna get near you.
You're gonna be safe.
I need to know...
who else do we need
to protect?
No. I'm the only one left.
(Radio static)
Suspect in custody.
(Siren wailing)
- Michael!
- Drop the gun!
- Michael, don't! Michael, no!
- Get down!
- Drop the fuckin' gun!
- No, wait a minute!
- Wait a minute! Wait wait!
- (All shouting)
[Man]:
suspect down.
(Door opens)
What you got?
We've got five dead bodies
in the last 24 hours.
This could be the worst case
of retaliation violence
This city's ever seen.
- Has that gotten out?
- Not yet.
But we've only got a few hours
till the press gets wind of it.
All right.
So what are you thinking,
counsel?
There's no way to justify
their actions in the field tonight.
Someone has to take
the fall for this.
Is that the official position
of the district attorney?
Just to be clear,
Nothing leaves this room until
it's been blessed by our office.
What's your take
on Shepherd?
He's been on the job for 30 hours
straight with no sleep.
He'll be easy to break.
Okay, detective.
Are you ready to begin?
- You know the drill, detective.
- (Hits button)
Tell us what happened
out there tonight.
What difference does it make?
Hmm?
The difference between losing
your badge and going to prison
- For criminal misconduct.
- No matter what I say,
You're gonna spin it exactly
the way that you want,
Exactly the way it's been done
here 100 times before.
What was that?
I know what you do
with the facts
When they don't match the story
you want to tell, right?
You change them
or you ignore them.
Keep it up, detective.
You're just hanging yourself.
Am i?
Tell us what you know.
During the course of
the initial investigation...
into the shooting deaths
of officer Chris Jacobs,
we interviewed his partner,
detective Evans.
He gave us the name of
a paid criminal informant...
who eventually led us
to the suspect.
You placed an A.P.B.
At approximately 2200 hours.
Yes, sir, when some of
our patrol officers...
reporting spotting the suspect
and engaged in pursuit.
They were able to box him in
at front street.
Based on preliminary reports submitted
by patrol officers Lerner and Cominsky,
they were attacked
by an assailant.
Did you witness this,
detective?
A firefight did ensue.
The criminal informant was shot
and killed in the crossfire.
Detective Shepherd and
i then pursued the suspect
Into the warehouse area.
We cornered him.
We attempted to talk him
into surrendering
Even after he had
fired upon us.
At which time uniformed officers
fired upon the suspect,
Fatally injuring him only
after all attempts
To disarm him
had been exhausted.
What are we missing,
detective?
Sir?
We wish it was
that simple.
It wasn't that clean,
was it, detective?
You either play ball or I'm taking
you down myself. You understand me?
You want to put me
on the stand? Go ahead.
'Cause i'll
tell 'em everything.
But you don't want that,
do you?
Right?
You can't control it.
It's not the image that the department
wants to present to the public.
You're burnt out, Shepherd.
We can all see that.
Is that why you did
what you did?
I have no idea what
you're talking about.
You have no idea what
we're talking about?
Well, we've got a sworn statement
from your partner here...
and it says different.
There's no way.
Go ahead, read it.
His debrief ended hours ago.
Why do you think that is?
Let me help you out,
detective.
Why don't you start
by telling us...
how detective Evans wound up
with two bullet holes in his head...
one self-inflicted
and one not?
You were the first guy
at the scene.
Sir, I can only comment...
that during the course
of our investigation,
we encountered what could only
be described as a theory...
Of potential conspiracy
involving individuals...
from within our own department.
No way. This is a setup
and you know it.
You're out of line.
Every one of those men is
dead tonight because of us.
And for what?
The reason we're here
is to find the truth.
- The truth, captain?
- Yeah.
Those suspects had a target
painted on their back...
from every officer
in the field.
We caused this!
We caused this.
Detective, sit down.
We caused this.
Detective.
This is our fault.
Lieutenant [Michaels]:
start from the beginning.
Don't leave out
a single detail.
This is your only shot.
Your partner's going down.
There's nothing we can do
to stop that now.
Are you?
You don't have to join him.
There's only one way
out that door.
It's time to come clean.
My partner
detective Shepherd and i
Received the first call
at 1800 hours.
There'd been
an apparent shooting
Down at the 6th street park...
That's deep within gangland.
Whose gangland?
The vice lords.
They run all the streets
in between 16th and fairfax.
Nobody goes in
and nobody comes out...
without being affiliated
with that crew.
Preliminary reports indicated
that it was indeed...
a gangland homicide.
The wealthy street boys...
they'd been seen in the area
and there'd been a series of shootings...
in the past couple
of weeks.
Our initial instincts
told us...
that it was a retaliation shooting
that resulted from a prior incident.
- We got a break in the rain.
- Yeah, give it 10 minutes.
Johnson, what do you have?
Victim's a white male,
late 20s, early 30s.
Took multiple G.S.W.S
to the head and chest.
Chalk that up.
How many does it make?
- Three in three weeks.
- First on scene?
- I was, sir.
- Did you I.D. the victim?
Not yet. No wallet, no cash...
stripped clean.
Detectives, we've got over
two dozen spent shell casings.
They're all 9mm.
We've also got tread marks
from what could have been...
the shooter's vehicle
heading out of the park.
How long before you get
the results on the treads?
I'll be uploading the photos
within the next 24 hours,
but it'll still take a couple of days
to get a positive match.
All right. Show me this kid.
Maybe we can shop a photo around.
Watch your step.
Took hits from all sides.
Not very pretty
what's left of him.
Pull it back.
Cover it up.
Hey, what's up?
Do you know this guy?
He's one of ours, shep.
Lock it down now!
(Muted talking)
Detective?
I've seen things no one
should ever see.
I've dealt with it
like we all have.
Your training tells you
to separate your emotions
From the job at hand,
to build up a tolerance to it.
But when it's
someone you know...
turn it off.
I wanted revenge.
You saw what
they did to him.
His face was barely
recognizable.
Those fucking animals
did that to him,
And for what?
A piece of gangland?
They want to kill each other
over that, lieutenant,
let 'em fuckin' have it.
[Michaels]:
you ready to continue?
(Indistinct police radio)
Talk to me, detectives.
What are we looking at?
We got a positive I.D.
On our victim.
- He's one of ours.
- Jesus Christ!
- Who is it?
- Detective Chris Jacobs.
He was an undercover
working vice.
- What was he doing down here?
- We don't know yet.
We set up
a four-block perimeter.
No one's getting in and out of this place
until we know what happened.
We've also got what appears to be
a blood trail that leads from here...
to just outside
the warehouse.
We think Jacobs got off a few
rounds with a backup piece...
before he went down,
'cause whoever our suspect is,
He's hurt and
he's bleeding.
Yeah, we notified
local hospitals, clinics.
Guy goes for help,
we've got him.
Listen to me:
somebody shot one of ours.
Now it's your responsibility
to bring them in to justice at all costs.
Do you understand me?
All right then.
Let's get these guys.
- Hey, lieutenant, Jacobs had a wife.
- I'll take care of it.
With all due respect, sir, I know her.
I'd like to be the one.
All right, detective.
You all right?
Yeah. It's all part
of the job, you know?
Yeah. This is the hard part
of what we do.
How do I tell her that?
You want me to
go in with you?
No.
Thanks, man.
I know her. She sees us
both go, she'll know.
Yeah.
Give me a minute,
all right?
(Laughing)
Oh my god.
Briggs!
What are you doing here?
It's been forever.
Come in, come in.
Chris isn't back yet...
but I'm expecting him
any minute.
He's gonna be so excited
to see you. How are you?
You want to stay
for dinner?
No, I can't.
Um...
- tracy, listen.
- What?
Is something wrong?
Did something happen
to Chris?
You ought to sit down.
Don't tell me this.
Tell me he's okay.
He's okay.
Briggs, where is he?
Sorry.
Oh my god!
Oh my god!
Oh my god!
Oh my god!
Oh, god damn it!
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
I promise you that I will
find whoever did this.
You find them
and you kill them!
You fucking kill them!
Shh.
Come here, come on.
Come here.
Shh shh shh.
I'm so sorry.
I worked with Jacobs
for over six years.
He was like
a brother to me...
and a damn good cop.
But when he got transferred
to vice,
He got partnered
with Evans.
Jesus Christ.
Stick to the facts, detective. We're not
looking for any color commentary.
Everyone on the force knows
he's a fucking joke...
a burned-out drunk
raging alcoholic...
just pissing time away
until he got his pension.
And you fucking guys
stick Jacobs with him.
Are you finished?
Then let's continue.
[Michaels]: Your assignment
was to pursue the suspect,
track him down
and bring him into custody.
That's exactly what
we attempted to do. Okay?
You tell me why an undercover
would go into gangland with no backup.
We're investigating
his actions.
His actions didn't make
any sense, captain.
Before we could do anything else,
we needed to find out what was going on.
There's a cop bar
on division and 8th...
called Eddie's.
Detective Evans was known
to frequent the place.
(Bluegrass music playing)
[Man]:
Cocktails!
Come on, keep up.
God.
Cocktails!
Come on, sugar tits,
keep up with me here.
God damn it.
Let's go, sarah.
Keep up. That's it.
You know, I am gonna
take you home...
and do dirty things
to you tonight.
I'd love to, but I have a feeling
you might have a problem...
getting your little
whiskey dick up.
Aww.
Crown rocks.
One for my friend too.
Aw, come on, sarah.
What're you doin' to me, girl?
Oh! What is this?
I got a hole in my glass?
Better than a hole
in your head.
What'd you say?
Do I know you?
No, but we know you,
detective Evans.
Who are you guys?
Oh! You guys are I.A.D.
Well, this is a cop bar
and I am off duty.
You want to talk to me,
you do it when I'm on the clock...
with my union rep present.
Other than that, you can kiss my ass.
You got it wrong, Jack.
We're not I.A.D., we're homicide.
Ahh.
Oh, well, what can
i do for you, detectives?
We're investigating the
shooting death of Chris Jacobs.
Your partner.
- Is this a fucking joke?
- [Briggs]: No joke.
Your partner was found shot to death
at the park down on 6th street.
- What the fuck?!
- What was he doing there, detective?
This isn't right.
This wasn't supposed to go down.
The meet was scheduled
for friday.
- What meet?
- This is not right.
Hey, Evans, focus.
What meet?
What were you working on?
We were assigned to
a joint task force...
investigating some
small-time drug traffickers...
This nothing bust.
All right?
Now we had a paid
criminal informant
Set up a meet and greet with
the players for friday night.
Why was the meet moved up?
No way he'd have gone in
without backup.
Not much backup if your
partner's facedown in a bar.
- What?
- His partner's a drunk.
He kept fucking things up,
so better go in alone
Than chancing having
the bust get tossed...
because you're a deadbeat.
Fuck you, asshole!
I done my time
in this shithole.
No, fuck you, asshole!
You want to drink yourself
into oblivion? Let's go!
Better to be partnered with a C.I.
Than let him hang for your bullshit!
I didn't know!
(Gagging)
Now who was the informant?
Give me a name!
- What's his name?
- Tino. His name's Tino.
Where do I find him?
I don't know.
He's Jacobs's guy.
- Bullshit, you cocksucker!
- Ahh!
- Bullshit!
- Get off him!
- Where is he?
- [Shepherd]: God damn it!
You're out of control,
Briggs!
- Get the fuck back.
- Ahh.
Your partner's way out of control...
Way out of line.
- Give yourself up.
- Wait a minute.
- Oh, god.
- Hey,
you listen to me,
you son of a bitch.
Jacobs is dead
because of you.
The only thing standing
between you...
and that maniac
out there is me!
Now you tell me every
goddamn thing you know,
or I swear to god, there's nothing
I can do to prevent him...
from coming back
and finishing you.
(Indistinct speaking
on telephone)
(Starts engine)
It's 423 rosewood.
You don't think you went
a little bit over the line there?
It was the only way,
lieutenant.
Come on, you know when
a cop screws up,
They shut down, go into
automatic cover-up mode
'Cause they need to justify
their actions or they're finished.
We needed that information.
Who was the C.I.?
Tino.
His name was Tino.
Been playin' on the streets
his whole life.
He was taking money
from both sides of the fence.
We hit his house.
He wasn't there.
So the waiting game began.
Yeah, like I thought.
There's no record of your request
and a warrant to enter his premises.
He was a paid criminal informant.
We weren't there to arrest him, captain.
And what if you had
stumbled upon evidence?
It would have been completely
inadmissible in a court of law.
He was our only chance
of finding the suspect.
So you trumped your entire
investigation?
No, it was a judgment call.
You guys are cops.
You remember how to make those?
Put yourselves in the same
place at the same time.
You wouldn't have done
anything different.
This guy was our only chance
at finding the shooter.
What time do you have?
12:30.
Man, it's been two hours. How long
do you wanna wait for this guy?
Last call's not till 1:45.
That's if he's at a bar.
What?
I didn't need you to pull me out tonight.
I had Evans by myself.
Yes, you did. You were
completely out of control.
What's your problem?
My problem is that I can't have you
go off half-cocked...
- until we find this guy.
- He killed a cop.
We've got half the department
looking for him right now.
And that pretty much
frees us up, doesn't it?
God damn it, Briggs!
(Sighs)
You know, just listen to me
for a minute, okay?
What?
My first year on the job,
Working the b team
on the west side of town,
Ran into a gang-related
homicide just like this one.
And I'm the rookie,
so I just follow the team lead.
But we knew who
the shooter was.
Instead of bringing him in,
we decided to let things
escalate...
Street justice.
Let the animals kill each other,
then we come in with the body bags.
Make life easy, right?
Yeah, it's about right.
Yeah, well,
it didn't take long.
Rival gang gunned him down
right away.
Street justice.
We let the streets
clean themselves up, right?
You're wrong.
You know what we
didn't count on?
All the people that
were goin' down right after...
A dozen.
Four of 'em dead,
Including
a six-Year-Old girl.
Caught a ricochet to
the back of the head.
She was playing in
her backyard.
For what?
Some bullshit
that we allowed to happen.
Your point, detective?
My point is that you and I
don't have to let this happen again.
He was my partner, Shepherd!
So if you're not up for the task,
you better think about calling it a night.
- You need to cool off, Briggs.
- You need to cowboy up.
(Car door closes)
We got action.
You ready?
- Easy.
- (Keys fumbling)
Here he comes.
(Gun cocking)
- Drop the gun, Tino!
- Fuck, man.
- Drop the gun!
- Police officers, Tino.
What the fuck you doin'
in my house?
You know what? You're right.
Let's take a walk.
That's not cool.
That's not cool, man.
That's not cool, man.
What the fuck...
What the fuck
is all this about?
- This ain't how it's supposed to be played.
- Your hand dealer's dead, Tino.
- What?
- Detective Jacobs was found...
shot and killed at the park
down on 6th street.
Whoa... whoa... whoa.
I don't know nothing about this shit.
Listen here, you motherfucker.
You got 10 seconds...
to tell me what you know,
or we're gonna take you out that door...
and parade you around gangland in
the most obvious unmarked police car...
this city's ever seen.
I'm talking lights, sirens,
the whole shebang,
so everybody...
Every fucking gangbanger in this city
knows where you get your cash!
Hold on, hold on.
I can help you, man.
We're listening, Tino.
I can help you.
Just give me a few days, man.
I'll get word from the street,
circle around a little bit.
You're not listening
to me, Tino.
A suspect is out there
that shot and killed a cop,
And you're the only one that
knows why he was in the park.
Now your 10 seconds
is almost up.
I don't know.
Wrong answer.
Let's go!
- He was looking for a dirty cop.
- What'd you say?
He was looking for
a dirty cop, man.
Jacobs told me not to
talk to nobody.
And since I don't know neither
of you, I ain't sayin' shit.
All right.
- I've got a better idea.
- Let's go!
- (Siren wails)
- What do we have here, detective?
(Honking)
(Men chattering)
These guys, Tino?
Really? You sure?
- Them? That's them right there?
- Fuck y'all, man.
- This is bullshit, man.
- Fellas!
Guys, recognize Tino?
Come around!
Take a look!
Say hi, Tino.
He wants to say hi.
Come on,
give 'em a smile, man.
Yeah, that's him.
This is bullshit, man.
Get me the fuck outta here.
Looks like your cover's
blown, Tino.
Now you're thinkin', Tino.
Now you're thinkin'.
This is fucked up, man.
- Man, what the fu...
- [Briggs]: Let's go.
- What the fuck is...
- Let's go.
- Briggs, take him.
- Come on, man.
- Get over there.
- [Shepherd]: Take it easy, man.
- Take it easy on him.
- What the fuck's the matter with him?
Let's have it.
Jacobs told me not to talk
to nobody from local P.D., man.
He said the sheriff
and the feds only, man.
Why would he say that?
He didn't know who he could
trust within the department.
You guys got some dirty
shit goin' down, man.
He didn't know how
high up it went.
What the hell was he doin'
at 6th street?
There was this kid he heard
about from his partner...
this young fighter
golden gloves, man.
Real tough...
Sharp with his hands.
Yeah, what about this kid?
What makes him important?
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
This kid's a Stone-cold brawler, man.
So a group of these cops,
they go to a couple of his fights, man.
They pick him up on a couple
bullshit assault charges.
The flip him, man.
They make him an offer.
This kid knows people
from both gangs, man.
Nobody was gonna fuck with him.
And they figured he was money.
- They could get on, they could ride him.
- Skip to the point, Tino.
So get this, man. These cops,
they know every drug house in town.
They know where
the money's stashed.
They know where the product's
coming in and going out.
The problem is they
don't have any evidence...
to present to the judge
to get warrants.
and when they do get
the warrants,
it's too late...
The shit is gone.
So they decide to take matters
into their own hands.
They hire this young fighter
as an enforcer.
Picture this, man: Young fighter
running down division,
hooking and jiving.
He ducks behind a house,
pulls down his mask,
pistol on his hip,
kicks in this door,
beats the shit out of everybody.
Get the fuck down on the floor!
Get the fuck on the floor!
[Tino]:
it's motherfuckin' brutal, man.
I know it sound like some bullshit,
but it's real, man.
- A few minutes later...
- Where's the fuckin' shit?
got the shit, man.
Couple seconds after that,
he back out on
the streets sprintin', man.
The drugs, the money...
you name it, man.
And up the block, cop car...
Side window down.
He runs, tosses it
into the back. Bam!
Right back on division,
hooking and jivin', man...
Going for a little
morning cardio,
running right down on Riverside.
It was seamless, man.
You know nobody gonna report
that kind of money missing.
You seriously expect us
to believe this bullshit?
It's the truth, man. This kid
took down 20 or 30 scores.
If everything you're
telling us is the truth,
why would they
want him killed?
The boys got greedy, man.
Shit was going smooth.
They wanted more.
They gave him more work than Michael
could handle by himself.
He had to get
his own crew.
(Whispering)
Come on, come on.
What were their names?
Cruz, Hicks and Thompson.
Do those names sound
familiar to you, lieutenant?
Three weeks ago, we fish
andre Cruz out of the water.
He's weighted down;
bullet hole to the forehead.
Probably been there
for days.
Takes us a week
to get a positive I.D.
Right? Chalk it up.
He's our first.
Second body... Carl Hicks.
Lowlife from the west side,
found shot to death
along the riverside.
Ballistics on both... 9mms.
Now I bet you that when we pull
the slugs from Jacobs tonight,
that we have a match with
these other two crime scenes.
And that's a series.
Okay? One, two and three.
What about the fourth man?
Jack junior Thompson.
He was shot to death tonight by the
same cops that killed Michael Pips.
So there's a four-Man crew
running around out there.
But you still haven't
told us why they got burned.
You're not listening, man.
This guy's a boxer.
He was just using the money
to supplement his income.
About three months ago,
he had a fight club international...
These big-Time managers
in the crowd watching.
He promises them a show. This kid
starts getting all this attention.
He got money falling
out of his pockets, man.
It's like he hit the lotto. So he stops
taking the work from the cops.
Problem is
his crew gets hungry.
And they start
taking side work,
all that's unauthorized
by the man.
They call him in. They tell him
if he don't take care of his crew,
they all goin' down.
This is bullshit, man.
Y'all eatin'.
- (Gun cocking)
- What's going on?
They're gonna kill him
and his crew?
Nuh-Huh. They gonna leak it
to the street...
that it was him and his crew
that took all their scores.
Man, everybody be gunnin'
for his shit.
It look like one gang-Related
shooting after another.
Jacobs, he just stumbled into
some shit he wasn't ready for.
Whoever pulled the trigger
set this thing in motion.
Yeah, well, that's what
it looks like.
You still haven't told us what
the fighter's name is, Tino.
Michael... Michael Pips.
Detective Jacobs said
his partner knew about this?
I guess so.
Hey, detective Evans...
Yes or no?
Yes, man.
He knew.
- And you believed him?
- No.
All right.
What the fuck is the matter
with this nigga, man?
I thought it was
street bullshit...
The stuff that Gangbangers
and Hoodrats...
tell each other to justify
their pathetic little lives.
Detective.
I been on this job long enough
to read between the lines, fellas.
The only thing Tino gave us
was the name of the shooter...
this kid Michael Pips.
That's our guy.
End of story.
Tino wants to start spinning
some fiction about dirty cops.
I've heard it 1,000 times.
So you gave no weight
to his intel?
That's not what I said.
Look at what he
actually gave us.
This kid Michael Pips,
not only
is he our shooter,
but I guarantee you
we can tie both him and his crew...
to over a dozen unsolved
home invasions and burglaries...
within the past 12 months.
That's what he gave us.
I repeat: Suspect in
6th street homicide...
has been identified as one
Michael Alexander Pips...
Paul Ida Paul Sam.
Known residence:
1402 Franklin.
I want an A.P.B.
on the suspect's vehicle...
an oldsmobile cutlass 1988,
License plate
david charles nora 2-3-9.
- [Man]: Copy that...
- What the fuck did he just do?
He just called it in.
You just painted a target
on that kid's head.
Listen, if what you said
is even partially true,
We need to get to Michael
before anyone else does.
Man, this is bullshit.
Hey, you know those guys
Hicks and Cruz?
Yeah, I know 'em.
I just don't know where they at.
- And we do.
- They're dead, Tino.
This thing started
three weeks ago.
Man, you gotta
get me out of here.
You gotta get me out
of this city now.
Calm down, Tino, all right?
Long as you're with us,
nothing's gonna happen to you.
- I promise.
- Where you takin' me?
We need to verify
your information.
- Where you takin' me?
- Taking you to detective Evans.
And if he's one of them,
I'm dead meat, right?
I need to talk to the D.A.
I need to talk to the feds.
- Hey, shut up!
- Dino, as long as you're in our custody,
Nothing is gonna
happen to you.
You understand me?
Nothing.
So it was your decision
to go to Evans.
Yes.
You knew who the shooter was. You had
a criminal informer in your custody...
who happened to be the only person
that could connect that shooter...
with the murder of an
undercover police officer.
Why wouldn't you
just bring him in?
It wasn't as simple as that.
It wasn't as simple
as that?
He asked for
protective custody.
You violated
set protocols.
Now he's laying on the slab in the morgue
next to two dead officers
And a 19-year-old suspect.
Enlighten us.
Look, if what he was saying
was even remotely true,
then the safest place
for him was with us.
That was a hell
of a risk to take.
Well, we didn't know
what we were up against.
Easy easy.
He's dead.
Hey hey hey hey!
What the fuck is going on?
Son of a bitch.
He was burning
case files.
Where are they from?
They're all over
the place, man.
Got a... Got a B&E,
home invasion...
and a robbery case.
All right,
what are you thinking?
I think that this means he knew
what was going down.
Aw, so you're actually
believing this bullshit.
Listen, they had to destroy every piece of
evidence that could be tied back to them.
What the fuck are you
talking about?
Check out the gun.
Look at this.
Yeah, what am
i looking at?
- Old school 45 caliber, right?
- So what?
- What do we carry? 40's, huh?
- Standard issue.
Exactly. Now how many
self-inflicted gunshot wounds...
have you investigated, huh?
- Why would he use this?
- What the fuck you doing, man?
You just contaminated
a crime scene.
This is bullshit. We don't have time
to wait for ballistics.
No fuckin' way, Shepherd.
No way my ass is going out
on the line for you.
Not like this!
Look at the body, huh?
Why would Evans shoot himself
with a 45-Caliber pistol...
and have the gun fall perfectly
beneath his chair?
Use your head.
Don't fucking do this, man.
(Fires)
Look at that.
Someone's trying
to clean up.
What the hell do you
think you were doing?!
There wasn't any time!
You compromised everything,
do you know that?
I'm not gonna cover up for
your actions tonight, detective!
- No possible way!
- You're not listening to me!
Evans couldn't have
possibly killed himself!
Thanks to your actions,
we can't prove it!
- How could you let that happen?
- I tried to stop him.
- That's not good enough!
- The entire scene is contaminated.
I understand that, sir. There's no way
to justify his actions.
But they did yield results
that were necessary...
for our ongoing investigation.
Jesus Christ!
Are you kidding me?
It did have the appearance of someone
trying to clean up after themselves.
So now you're buying
into the conspiracy. Mmm?
What happened to all the "hoodrat"
and "street bullshit," detective?
I said it had
the appearance, captain.
[Man]: Charles Edward 12,
do you copy? Over.
Charles Edward 12?
Copy.
Go for 12.
Report a possible sighting
of the suspect vehicle.
Officers en route.
[Briggs]: Charles Edward 12,
this is 5 lincoln 9.
What is your position?
5 lincoln 9
eastbound on fox.
Heading towards...
(continues, indistinct)
Charles Edward 12 en route.
Hold that position.
- What the fuck is going on?
- Evans is dead.
- What?
- He was burning case files.
This ain't how it's
supposed to go down, man.
Left left left!
Take the bridge!
I need to know:
was Evans dirty?
- Was he on the take?
- I don't know.
I told you this
was bullshit!
5 lincoln 9,
Charles Edward 12.
Be advised: we're coming in
from the northwest side.
Wilcox in front.
What is your position?
5 lincoln 9, now code 3, in
pursuit of suspect's vehicle...
eastbound on front...
Repeat... east on front...
nearing dead end.
Request immediate backup.
Roger 5 lincoln 9.
Charles Edward 12
Is 3 minutes E.T.A. box in the suspect
and hold the perimeter.
Alright. Let's walk through it,
detective.
It's like a blur. It happens so fast
when you're actually in it.
But from my perspective...
I see muzzle flashes coming from
the suspect's vehicle.
The patrol officers are
already pinned down.
They're calling for backup.
Bullets crashed into
our car.
And I hear the engine rev just as we're
spinning in behind the barricade.
I duck below the dash.
We evacuate the vehicle.
Detective Shepherd makes
a move for Tino.
I take up a position,
draw my weapon,
Follow the other officers'
line of sight,
lean over the hood
of the car.
I have a visual
on the suspect.
I fire.
- [Michaels]: How many shots?
- Four.
No, five...
right at the center
of mass.
You definitely had a visual
on the suspect?
Yes, sir.
Just so we're clear...
did you see the weapon
in the suspect's hand...
before you fired?
Yes.
I only fired after
he engaged us first.
How many suspects did you see
when you entered the scene?
Just the one.
And the suspect's
vehicle, right?
That's correct.
The first responders reported
multiple suspects in the area.
Why would you go in there
without backup?
Look, if Michael was in
that warehouse,
then we needed to get to him
before anyone else.
Even if you put yourself
and your partner in harm's way?
When we arrived,
Jack Thompson was firing on us.
Why?
(Firing)
The officers
had him pinned down.
He was trapped.
There was no way out for him.
Why would he fire on us?
Like you just said,
he was trapped.
They'd killed a cop
earlier in the night.
They were a four-man crew.
There was Cruz, Hicks,
Thompson and Michael Pips.
Cruz and Hicks
were dead already.
Who was in that tree line?
Excuse me?
Who pinned us down
on the tree line?
[Man]:
Movement, tree line!
(Firing)
[Emmett]:
You said they were bangers...
wealthy street boys,
Vice Lords.
If it wasn't one,
it was the other.
No, we thought they were bangers
because of what Tino told us.
What did we really see?
(Gunfire popping)
We're fucking sitting ducks
out here!
Michael said he saw three officers
at the 6th street park shooting.
He said that...
He said "three".
[Michaels]:
Let's get back on track.
Right there.
"Lerner, Cominsky and Johnson".
(Indistinct police radio)
Those are the same three officers
that shot down Michael Pips tonight.
Where was the third officer
when we arrived?
I don't like what
you're insinuating.
Where was Johnson?
Johnson arrived after you went
to the warehouse.
It's right here.
There's no way...
you could have seen that
from your perspective, detective.
Well, who confirmed his arrival?
Lerner and Cominsky, right?
Yo, let's get the fuck
out of here, man.
Did the suspect say he saw
three uniformed officers...
at 6th street
earlier in the day?
Yeah, he said three.
But taken out of context,
it could mean anything.
So what do you think
he meant, detective?
It's gangland.
Are you kidding me?
We've had a series of shootings
in the last couple of weeks.
You tell me, captain,
have we stepped up patrols?
Exactly.
What do you think
happened out there?
I think it was
a righteous shoot.
(Muted)
Hey, eyes on me, buddy!
I think the suspect was agitated
beyond the point of no return.
And had detective Shepherd
not got between us,
I wouldn't hesitate
to put the suspect down.
Had you tried to
talk him down?
He had already fired
on us both, lieutenant.
So, yes,
If I had the chance to
do it again, i'd kill his ass.
Listen, we can circle
around this again and again...
and look at it from
every different angle,
but this is gonna come down
to one important fact:
He fired on us and
continued to fire on us...
knowing we were
police officers.
Were those other officers
justified in killing this kid?
I ask myself...
had they not, would me and my partner
be sitting here right now?
But wait a minute!
You're not listening to me!
Because it's bullshit!
It's bullshit!
Why? Because it doesn't fit
in a tiny little box for you?
I'm done with this.
You know where I stand.
I'm prepared to file
an unlisted report.
We expect your full
cooperation.
I can't commit
to anything,
not till I speak
to the administration.
- Sorry.
- So what are you saying?
You're not even gonna
look into this?
We're moving on, detective.
What if Tino is right?
What if what he's saying
is true?
We don't owe it to the public
to make sure that our house is clean?
There's no evidence that would
warrant that investigation.
You've made sure of that.
Who could have set
this whole thing in motion?
It had to be...
It had to be somebody...
with complete tactical control
over all units involved.
Somebody shot one of ours.
Now it's your responsibility
to bring him in to justice...
at all costs.
Do you understand me?
Who could have set
this whole thing in motion?
Are you listening to me,
detective?
It's you.
You sent us on a one-way mission
to retaliate against a cop killer.
This blood's on your hands.
Don't worry. I have too much respect
for the department...
to make this
a public matter.
I'll clean up
these reports...
to avoid
a criminal prosecution.
There's no way I'm gonna
save your job.
You're done.
I don't know how
i didn't see this before.
Search without a warrant,
tampering with evidence,
the death of a criminal informant
while he's in your custody.
That's just the beginning.
It would have to be somebody
that had complete access...
to all the criminal case files.
Yeah.
[Michaels]: Get the badge,
change out the shells,
clean this place up.
You got it.
Check over there.
- [Man]: Come on, guys, hurry up.
- Grab his badge. Come on.
- Let's get out of here, boys.
- [Man]: Hurry up!
Someone... Someone who
could control...
all of the crime scenes.
Someone who could control
the timing...
of all of the patrolled zones...
so there could be
no witnesses.
- Go!
- Lie down!
Give me the gun!
Give me the gun!
That's you.
That's you, lieutenant.
I'm gonna have your badges.
I want your names.
I want your names.
I want your names.
(Bullet fires)
Someone who could control
every aspect...
of what was reported.
I got a sworn statement from
an officer in good standing.
She says the only thing that happened
that night was street justice...
a retaliation shooting
from a rival gang.
It's that easy.
And this is the only thing
the public's gonna hear.
Anything else is
considered fiction.
I'll need your badge
and your gun.
Hey.
Briggs, you saw
what happened tonight.
It's over, Shepherd.
There's only one move
to make.
I expect nothing less
than your full cooperation.
And you'll have it.
You write up the report.
He'll sign his name.
I guarantee it.
Why?
- Why'd you do it?
- Get him out of here!
Huh?
He was innocent.
You put that in your report,
- you piece of shit!
- Don't do this!
- Now!
- Don't do this here.
- He was innocent!
- That's enough!
Put that in your report,
you son of a bitch!
I'm not taking
the fall for you.
And you... You saw
what happened tonight.
- I won't let them bury it.
- All right.
- I won't let them bury it.
- All right, all right.
Come on.
(Door beeping)
(Train whistle blows)
We're right here
moving towards the alcove.
We turn the corner. Shots fire.
We duck behind the wall.
(Shots firing)
[Briggs]: Police officers!
Drop the gun!
And we're here.
Who did you see?
Man, I didn't do this!
I didn't kill that fuckin' cop!
Drop the fucking gun, Michael.
We have you surrounded.
Who did you see? Just stay there
and let me get a shot off.
Let me get a shot off, Shepherd.
It's clear.
Let me take this guy out.
Just stay there.
(Static)
Who did you see?
Who did you see?
Who were you looking at?
Who did you want to hear?
What was going on?
The tree line.
(Gunfire popping)
There's no light.
Nobody would have
seen you back here.
(Gunfire)
Where were the shots?
Right there.
Right there.
(Gunfire continues)
This is where you fired,
you sons of bitches.
Right over here.
Right here.
C.S.I. misses a couple
every time.
.40 s&w.
What did he say?
.45 caliber, old school.
Right?
- So what?
- What do we carry? 40's.
- Huh?
- Standard issue.
(Distant siren wails)
What did you say?
What did you tell them?
Ballistics on both... 9mms.
Now, I bet you that when we pull
the slugs from Jacobs tonight,
that we have a match with these
other two crime scenes.
And that's a series.
Okay? One, two and three.
9mm.
You saw three cops.
Can you identify them?
Lower your weapon. Look at him, Michael.
He's lowering his gun.
You blocked my shot,
you son of a bitch.
You wanted to make sure
your boys were safe.
Detective Stephen Briggs,
metro P.D.
I need the chief
homicide detective.
Connect me now!
(Starts car,
siren wailing)
Yeah, it's me.
Meet me outside in five minutes.
Okay.
Hey, you should
put that away.
People get hurt all
the time with those things.
You brought everything, right?
Yes, I did.
You think you went
a little overboard in there?
We got away with it,
didn't we?
Crime scenes are all bunk.
The lieutenant's running around
trying to cover his ass.
We're free and clear,
my friend.
Besides, you think they're really
gonna believe a word I said?
Streets are open.
Time to roll.
Yeah, I got it.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Ready?
So when do i
get my cut?
Listen, you get me across
the Canadian border first...
and then we'll talk
next steps.
That's bullshit.
I'm the one that took
all the risks last night.
Let me tell you something:
If it wasn't for me,
my partner would have shot
all your guys in the tree line.
We'd be in the fucking
shit right now.
Do you understand?
That's not to mention that
your staging of a suicide...
It leaves a lot
to be desired, okay?
I've been cleaning up
your mistakes all night.
- Mistakes?
- Yeah.
Your mistake is you should have never
let more than Michael Pips in this thing.
He couldn't have taken
all those houses down alone.
Well, his crew, they could
have exposed all of us.
They didn't. Listen, captain,
this thing is over.
Okay? And there's nothing
that can tie us back to any of it.
So don't go playing
Monday-morning quarterback now.
I get your ass
over that border,
you are gone forever.
You understand me?
Yeah, I wouldn't be complaining
that much if I was you.
I am about to make you
a very rich man.
I'm about to be.
Need to clear traffic ahead.
We are moving to point.
(Sirens wailing)
- Shit.
- Move it, all. Let's go.
- [Man]: Back me up!
- [Man 2]: Let's go!
- Shit.
- Move!
- Go go go!
- (Tires squealing)
- Come on!
- (Firing)
Cover me!
Go go, let's go!
Let's go!
Let's go behind
the warehouse!
- Move back!
- Come on! Go go!
Come on, let's go!
Move back!
- [Man]: Ahh!
- Move move move!
Drop it!
Ahhh!
I go! I go, I go!
Reload!
- Ready?
- Let's go!
Cover me!
I'm going for an opening here!
(Gunfire)
He's in the warehouse.
Help's coming.
Stay down.
Shepherd!
Ahhh!
You hurt yourself, Shepherd!
You said too much!
You didn't think I was
gonna check your story?
Tell you the truth, I didn't
think you gave a fuck, Briggs!
"Let the animals
kill each other," right?
Yeah.
Didn't count on
you knowing Jacobs.
You killed detective Jacobs!
You killed Hicks
and Cruz!
And you set up Evans
to take the fall!
You were cleaning up
tonight!
That's right, pal.
You walked me right through it!
You even did
the report for me.
What are you gonna do now,
detective?
You got no play, Shepherd!
The building's surrounded!
This goes up a lot higher
than you know.
Trust me, Briggs, there's still
time for you to get in, pal.
You're not gonna make it out!
Give it up!
Your boys shot everyone that
can connect me to this crime.
The fucked-up thing is I wanted
to include you in this, Briggs.
I did!
Everyone else said you were
too much of a Loose Cannon.
What do you say?
I'll make you a rich man.
There's still plenty of money
to go around.
Huh? What do you say?
- What do you say, Briggs?
- No, you're trapped, Shepherd!
- There's no way out for you!
- (Firing)
You don't know how high up
this thing goes!
(Gun clicking)
Easy.
Whoa.
Well, thank you, detective.
You can take it
from here, lieutenant.
(Snorts)
You don't sound convinced.
Everything fits too perfectly
in this case.
What do you want me to do?
Show me his statements.
I can't do that.
I just want to know
what he's saying.
These reports are
for our eyes only.
Just keep him here
for awhile.
Just keep him talking.
What do you expect to find?
I don't know.
But if there was
somebody else involved,
it's somebody that knows
our system inside and out.
(Siren approaches)
No no.
No! God!
(Gun fires)
What if you're right,
detective?
Then we've found
our cop killer.