Homicide: Life on the Street

'Who killed Charles Courtland Cox?

'Baltimore Homicide detectives have asked that question hundreds of times

'since Cox, 22, was shot in the back while being pursued on foot by police.

'Many in the Fayette Street area say the police shot him in cold blood.

'According to an informed source,

'investigators have asked the 15 officers who were at the shooting

'to hand over their weapons for inspection.

'Investigators anticipate matching the bullet to one of the officers' guns.

'Several of the officers are being interrogated again.

'But none of them are currently under suspicion.

'The mayor has called the incident senseless and tragic.

'Community leaders have demanded a free and open investigation... '

The law says that killing someone in cold blood is murder.

We became cops to uphold the law and the truth,

no matter how painful that truth may be.

- The truth? You want the truth? - Yeah!

When I got there, he was already dead. And I didn't touch him. Ask Hellriegel.

You stayed your gun went off once, accidentally, when you fell.

This report indicates that the bullet that killed Cox

did not come from your service revolver.

My union lawyer tells me I'm off the hook.

Just tell me what you know, Jerry. That's all. Whatever you know!

All right.

- Maybe I heard one shot. - Yeah.

Or maybe it was a car backfiring.

Lies! Lies! Lies!

So am I still a suspect?

Why would I be carrying a second gun? I don't own a second gun.

The bottom line - you're gonna have to tell the truth to a Grand Jury,

or when the truth does come out, face perjury charges. You understand?

I was chasing the other kid. I was going the other way.

But there were two shots, two bullets.

One from Hellriegel's gun and one in Cox's body.

- You don't not hear two shots. - You're out of your mind.

Hellriegel says that he didn't even get to the alley until you called him over.

How the hell would Hellriegel know?

- OK. - I don't know.

- It was a car backfiring. - I don't know.

- It was a shot. - I don't know.

- You can go, Lieutenant Tyron. Thanks. - Right.

Between us, I don't think you killed Cox, but I think you know who did.

And in a panic, you two concocted your story.

But it wasn't planned what happened. It all happened so fast,

that you didn't really have time to think

- Is that what happened? - I'm not saying one word.

Officer Hellriegel, you may go. Thank you very much.

Most of them are having trouble keeping their stories straight.

It's one thing having civilians lie. It's another thing when cops do it.

Being cops, I hoped they'd be better liars.

Frank, you know my feelings about this.

You're hurting the whole department by making every cop a suspect.

These are not street punks you can roll over.

They have dignity.

They're family.

La famiglia.

Capisci?

The body is that of a well nourished black male...

Congratulate me. What for?

Felicia and I have decided we're in love.

So, you've decided it's love, huh?

What were the choices? Could have it been insanity?

- Congratulate me. - I'm not gonna touch that hand.

I don't know where it's been. I've got enough problems already.

Another drug dealer. Collect all 13 in the series and win a set of dishes.

Live stupid, die young.

What have we got here?

What's this? Tropical fish?

- Is it alive? - Is it lying on the top?

You're so bitter. I'm in love and it drives you crazy. Be happy for me.

I'm head over heels. I'm ecstatic. I'm beside myself.

Jealous. You're riddled with jealousy, big man.

Face it. You're cranky and bitter. You don't have any juice left.

You're out of oil. I can read your dipstick.

You're jealous and you have no redemptive qualities whatsoever,

so you strike out, belittle and ridicule.

You're going to wind up like one of those old guys

all by himself on a park bench feeding pigeons.

- Hey, how're you doing? - Gee says we're on the Cox case.

Yeah. I need you canvass the Fayette Street area with Bayliss.

Hello, Frank.

Hi, Lieutenant Tyron.

- You know the Lieutenant? - He was my boss over in South West.

He taught me everything I know.

I taught a lot of rookies, only a few got the message.

Sit down, Frank. Let me buy you lunch.

- Huh? - Pembleton, how are you doing?

- Come on, Frank, sit down. - No, no. I don't think so.

- What's with him? - I don't know.

- Cheers. - Prost.

- What is Frank's problem? - What do you mean?

I don't know. Today at lunch he was acting all weird.

You know Frank. On a case like this, he tends to shut himself off.

Does he really think one of the uniforms shot Cox?

I don't know.

- Did you ever... fire your gun? - No. You?

Yeah, once, when I was in uniform.

My partner let one go, so I did too, just out of solidarity.

We even knew the guy we shot at. He said, "Timmy, you tried to kill me."

- Did you hit him? - No. I aimed over his head.

I apologised, but the kid never looked me in the eye again.

I aimed in the air.

You might have hit somebody else.

That bullet had to come down somewhere.

- Hi. - Yeah?

Detective Howard, Homicide Department.

- I've got a few questions. - The cops...

You have not come to find out about that boy.

- You've come to cover up your dirt. - Ma'am...

- There's always drugs and shooting. - If we could have two minutes...

I see stuff all the time. Where are you when we need you?

You're covering for the guy you work with. We know what happened.

No!

I have no information.

- What am I gonna tell you, boy? - Facts.

- We'd be happy to hear from you. - Thanks.

Yeah.

Does she want us to catch this guy or what?

Afternoon. We're police.

This is Detective Howard and I am Detective Bayliss.

- You could have fooled me. - Harris, don't be rude.

- I'm Dale and this is Harris. - Hi.

- How are we today? - I'm OK, how about you?

I could use a cup of coffee. Do you have any?

We've got basil, parsley and radishes, but no coffee.

We're going to put in two rows of green beans.

- We've got plans. - Great.

- Did you shoot that boy the other night? - Huh? No.

- The child's from this neighbourhood. - And he's a good kid, I know.

They all are and so God knows why we're paid to do this job.

He was no boy scout, but compared to most he was OK.

Everything's compared to most these days. There aren't any saints.

- That's the real picture. - Sure.

We don't like cops coming in our neighbourhood and killing our kids.

- Did either of you see anything? - No. And we wouldn't tell you if we had.

I'm just trying to get the facts to figure out what happened, huh?

Look over there, detective. You'll see what happened.

Listen, if you hear anything,

give me a call, all right?

- Good luck with the garden. - Thanks for your time.

We examined the service revolvers of each of the responding officers.

- None matched the.38 that killed Cox. - Another dead end.

So, either one of the uniforms was carrying a second gun or took Cox's.

In either case, the gun is most likely at the bottom of the Patapsco river.

Why do you say "One of the uniforms"?

- Gee, a cop shot Cox. - How can you say that?

You've done nothing to locate a civilian suspect.

You've been following one narrow path of attack.

- You've canvassed the neighbourhood. - Three times. No witnesses.

You've check the run sheets of each officer?

All the radio cars can be accounted for at the time of the shooting.

Colonel, I interviewed the uniforms at the scene, again.

I'm still getting stonewalled.

I'd like to have these four officers undergo lie detector tests.

Gee, with any other murder, wouldn't you give faulty witnesses a polygraph?

This is no ordinary murder. There are fellow police officers involved here.

- They deserve the benefit of the doubt. - I'll allow the tests.

But only if the uniforms agree to it voluntarily.

- Swell. - Thank you.

Thank you, Colonel.

- OK, you can both go. - Gee...

- Get the hell out. - So many times I've tried to...

Show me proof that a police officer is guilty and I'll bring him down myself.

But I want proof! I want the truth! If you're wrong, you know what it means?

Yes

You talk to me with the same respect you show those white boys.

I do, Gee. You know that I do.

Get out of my office and close the door as you leave.

How do you know this fish isn't evidence?

A sixth sense. I don't get the feeling that is vital.

This was recovered at a crime scene.

All items recovered at crime scenes fall within your purview, don't they?

Are you Rules and Regulations?

We took up a collection last week to find you a new partner.

He is new. Doesn't he look new?

That's very funny, Stanley.

What do we do with this thing?

Find a porcelain receptacle in the men's room,

and give him one last whirlwind ride.

You are heartless. You're a moral mutant.

This is a living thing. Don't you have a conscience? Don't you have kids?

- Should I do the honours? - This was at the scene of a crime.

- It's a witness. - I'll flush it for you.

No, no. I'm keeping this.

What are you gonna do? Put it in the witness protection programme?

- It's not a piranha, that's for sure. - Oh, no! Jack Cousteau.

Jacques Cousteau! Felicia has fish just like this.

I'll ask her. She knows everything about fish.

She has a 50 gallon tank, all these tropical fish in it.

She knows everything. I'm gonna show this to her...

God! Look at that. Isn't that beautiful?

Compared to what? You? Let's go get something to eat.

I'm gonna go see Felicia. Felicia loves fish.

Maybe if I give this to her, she'll get spontaneous with me.

- Stanley. - Detective Howard, how are you?

- I'm fine. How are you? - Same. Fine.

Are you sure?

Yeah... Listen, what are you doing for dinner?

I've got a date with Ed.

Howard, Homicide. Oh, yeah. Hi, Jimmy.

Yes, yes, I will be on time.