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, 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.
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.
(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 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.
(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.