Major Crimes s02e16 Episode Script
Risk Assessment
I don't know if this was such a good idea.
What?! When was the last time you saw a free carpet like this? On a corner to be picked up for garbage? Never.
It's not a carpet.
It's a rug, and it stinks.
We rent a steam cleaner, maybe spray a little Febreeze.
No one will know the difference.
And it's expensive, too.
Department-store quality.
Season 2, Episode 16 "Risk Assessment" - Oh, my God! - Geez! - Man, we need to call the police.
- You can't.
Stop.
We'll just take the rug back to where we found it.
Jason, this rug has our DNA on it now.
The police might end up thinking we killed this guy.
- No, they won't.
- So, why did you kill this guy? We didn't.
It was just like we found a free rug on the street.
Yeah, so, you put it in your car, carried it up here, and not once did it seem a little heavy? Good rugs weigh more.
We weren't gonna unroll it on the street where we found it.
- What street? - I'm not sure.
We dropped a friend off at L.
A.
X.
this morning.
And on the way back, traffic was bad.
So, we took a detour and got all turned around, and there it was, across the street from the garden, on the sidewalk.
Take their statements.
Uh, how long are you guys gonna be here? Our annual Christmas party is tonight.
Consider it canceled.
Uh, but, sir! It's Christmas.
Yeah, well, bah, humbug! You've got an unidentified body on your living-room floor.
Get drunk somewhere else.
And you out.
Out, out! Out! What? I've seen dead bodies before.
All right, Buzz.
These two are harmless, everyday idiots.
So it's okay to start filming, and then we'll do a search, and the only reason that you are riding along with us is to see if you can be a team player and follow directions.
And, so far, Mr.
Beck, you are doing a crappy job.
Ah, ah.
Stay in the hall.
Geez.
Why is he being so rude? Not following orders is worse than being rude.
If you want the captain to sign papers approving your participation in an S.
I.
S.
Operation, you better do what the lieutenant says.
But but just standing here is boring.
You expect us all to be fascinated with your life, but you never take the smallest interest in other people.
I do so take an interest in other people.
- I do that all the time.
- All the time? Really? Yeah So, tell me, why did Lieutenant Provenza become a detective? What was Mike Tao going to do before he started working Homicides? The reason you can't answer those questions is because you never ask people about themselves ever.
Not even how they're doing in the morning.
Well, I don't have to ask how you're doing, because you're, like, obviously in a really bad mood.
No.
I'm disappointed again.
One gunshot wound straight to the forehead, fired at pointblank range, no defensive wounds.
So, he never saw it coming.
You have time of death? Considering the rug was an insulator, I'm guessing 12 to 16 hours ago.
So, he was killed somewhere else and brought here by Heckle and Jeckle.
And the only thing they remember about the corner was it's about 15 minutes South of here, and there might have been a garden nearby.
I may be able to get more specific.
I ran our victim's prints and got a hit.
His name is Robert Keller, age 25, graduate student, and he has a record.
Arrested in 2011 for protesting with Occupy Wall Street.
Not a motive for murder, really.
No, but in addition to having a record, he's listed as a witness to hmm Doesn't say.
A witness gets shot in the head and rolled up in a rug? Does the, uh, victim's record show a current address? So, I've been thinking over, uh, being a team player, and if this really is a team, then shouldn't I know more about the people playing on it? You asking a question about us? Yes.
Why is that such a huge surprise? It's not like I'm an egomaniac.
I am interested in other people.
Mkay All right.
What are you interested in? Well, you know, like, w-why did you become a police officer? Uh'Cause I'm scared of fire.
I'd rather be shot at than stand on the roof of a burning building surrounded by flames.
Plus, I enjoy telling people what to do.
It's fulfilling.
And, uh, what about you, Lieutenant Flynn? Oh, God.
Do the short version, please.
When I was a kid, my older brother and I, we, uh, "borrowed" a motorcycle belonged to my cousin and took it for a joyride.
And this cop, officer Nichols, he caught us and brought us downtown, showed us the jail, and said, "This is where you're headed.
" Now, my brother, he didn't think too much of officer Nichols.
But, me, I decided, better putting people in jail than going there myself.
Right? - So, you were almost a criminal.
- Ah, here we are.
Okay, enough about us.
Now, about you.
You stay by my side until I say differently.
There's the garden those two morons talked about.
- Come on.
Come on.
- Look, a tassel by this memorial.
Like the ones on the rug the victim was rolled in.
Oh, there's blood on it, too, sir.
This is the place.
Why is a college kid living here when campus is only blocks away? It's pretty far outside the fence.
Mike, you have an apartment number for our victim? I think it's that one.
And how do you know that, Detective Beck? Because that's where Brenda's husband is standing.
Never good to find an FBI agent at your crime scene.
When the LAPD searched Keller's fingerprints on AFIS, we were notified.
Why would the FBI be notified unless our victim was involved in an FBI investigation? - He was.
And did you say "victim"? - He did.
And you are? Detective Shawn McElroy, Rampart Division.
Last 10 months, I've been running a joint task force down here with the FBI.
Wires, undercover whole nine yards.
Keller was our only witness to a gang shooting.
You're saying he was murdered? Yeah, we found his body a few miles away, about an hour ago.
Excuse me, but if you came to check on Keller, why are you just standing outside his apartment? Okay, coming through Stay.
Doorjamb and windows intact.
Even if someone had broken in, this dog would have had them for lunch.
- The killer knew the victim.
- Uh And the dog.
Yeah, Buzz, what do you got? The garden across the street I think it belonged to our victim.
Garden plans.
Found the victim's wallet.
Contains cash and credit cards, so probably not a robbery.
Sir.
This is where Keller was shot, and here's the casing.
Robert Keller writes in his journal "Witnessing Tyler's murder proved to me how important the work I'm doing here is.
" - Who's Tyler? - Tyler Rhodes That was the boy that Keller saw being shot to death by the 12th Street Rounders.
Rounders run this territory.
They specialize in protection rackets.
Tyler Rhodes is that his memorial out front? Yeah.
Okay, Special Agent Howard, Detective McElroy, I would like all of your crime reports, your notes Oh, hold on.
I've been working this task force almost a year.
Keller was my witness.
You can't expect me to just hand my case over to you.
Well, fine.
Fine.
If I can't expect you to do it, I'll order you to do it.
And since it's connected, we'll take the Tyler Rhodes murder, as well.
- Exactly.
- Wait, wait, wait.
Look, considering who Robert Keller's father is, I think we should be sharing information.
Why? Who's Robert Keller's father? Congressman Steven Keller.
He's on his way up here right now.
He'll be looking for answers.
Tell me we have some.
Not yet.
Sir, the bullet that killed our victim has been analyzed.
Its casing doesn't match any weapon in the NIBIN database.
But the motive, chief, is related to the victim's role as a witness in a gang murder.
What? The joint task force was collaborating with this boy? Sir, two weeks ago, Robert Keller saw three members of the Rounders shoot a teenage boy in the head.
And you left Keller out there? Whose brilliant idea was that? It was Keller's.
We tried to get him to leave.
But he wanted to serve as an example of the community.
Why wasn't I informed of this? I am a listed supervisor of this joint task force.
The FBI wanted to withhold all names related to this murder while we wrapped up our Rounders investigation, which we will try and do in about two weeks.
No.
We're not sitting on this murder until after Christmas.
With all due respect, chief, you didn't mind us sitting on things when we were only dealing with the murder of a 15-year-old black boy.
People may be created equal, but they sure as hell don't die that way.
Witnesses hold pride of place in our justice system.
You want to make this about race? Here we have two white guys who withheld vital information from a black supervisor.
I'll tell you what let's take color out of the equation while we deal with how badly you both screwed up.
Chief Taylor, if we could just move forward for a moment first.
Assuming that Robert Keller's murder was related to his role as a witness, perhaps Major Crimes could have access to the joint task force surveillance of the Rounders.
That's not possible, captain.
We'll return to this issue in a minute.
And while the congressman is here, I expect 100% support from everyone.
Yes.
All right.
Sir.
Assistant Chief Taylor, I appreciate the courtesy you're showing me by having this meeting.
Of course, congressman Keller.
Of course.
Come in.
And I speak for the entire department when I say how very, very sorry we are for your loss.
Thank you.
Special Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI, sir.
The Bureau extends its sympathy to you and your family.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
And I am struggling.
My son Ryan and I are struggling to understand why, given Robert's importance as a witness in a federal investigation, he was not afforded more protection.
Detective McElroy, sir.
Your son declined to be moved and refused a security detail on three occasions.
We even had him sign a waiver.
Why wasn't I notified my son declined protection? Congressman Keller, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor, and I am the officer in charge of investigating your son's murder.
Unfortunately, Robert was 25 and legally an adult.
You're telling me that my son died because of some bullshit right to privacy? Sir, right now, the LAPD and the FBI are working together in the neighborhood where your son was living.
We have officers and wire taps in place.
It won't be long until somebody talks about this crime, and we'll be able to make an arrest.
Just a moment.
Is that a suggestion that law enforcement not immediately respond? - Dad, just - No.
Because I am recommending a serious change in your do-nothing work day! I want no, I demand that every officer, every detective, and every FBI agent involved in this task force turn that neighborhood upside down until you find the animals who murdered my son! Dad, please, stop.
This isn't helping anything.
- Robbie wouldn't want you to do this.
- Ryan, please.
Please.
Agent Howard, I trust I've made myself understood.
You have.
But I should remind you, congressman, I don't work for you, and neither does anyone in the LAPD.
And if you attempt to interfere with a criminal investigation using your position or influence as a member of the House of Representatives Excuse me, Agent Howard.
If I may, congressman, because your son was shot during a task-force investigation, it's very likely we already have the killer's phones wired.
Just waiting two days, we might hear the murderers confess on their cellphones or land lines.
I'll give you 48 hours.
And, Agent Howard, don't think for one minute that I'll forget that you threatened me on the day that my son died.
Don't think I'll forget it.
I'll be back this evening for a briefing on your progress.
Hey.
Uh, there's nothing else for me to do, uh, and I've been following Lieutenant Provenza's instructions perfectly, so, can you sign off on the permission forms allowing me to participate in a police operation? First, there's lots else for you to do, and they're not just permission forms.
It's a series of five agreements.
I have to read all of them before I can sign anything.
Yeah, go help Buzz upload and organize his crime-scene video.
Move away from the board.
Sykes, where are we on the first victim? Uh, Tyler Rhodes gunned down outside of the apartment building where he resided, across the way from Robert Keller.
Why was Robert Keller living in a gang neighborhood? Well, according to his journal, it was to help those less fortunate by converting their neighborhoods into enriched habitats, one garden at a time.
Like the lot he was using across the street from where he lived was filled with vegetable plants.
Robert Keller wasn't just planting gardens, ma'am, he was worried about the neighborhood kids, too.
He was paying Tyler and another boy $100 a week each to garden and paint over graffiti.
Painting over gang graffiti That couldn't have made the 12th Street Rounders happy.
I think the congressman's son underestimated his vulnerability.
Ma'am, Detective McElroy just sent over a video copy of Robert Keller's statement taken the night of Tyler's murder.
Mr.
Keller, why don't we go back to your apartment? No, I'm gonna talk to you right here Where everybody can see me.
I'm not afraid, detective.
Just let me tell you what happened, okay? I was in my apartment.
I heard screeching tires and yelling, so I looked out.
I saw Tyler and his bicycle under the front end of a car.
Uh, can you describe the vehicle? Yes, it was a silver early-century Cadillac.
Plate number 5-CRD-518.
Three guys got out of the car.
They kicked Tyler in the face.
And in his chest and his stomach.
Then there was a gun, and they pointed it at Tyler's head.
They fired three times.
Drove away.
Do you remember anything about these men? They were black, maybe 20, 21 years old.
They all had tattoos.
One was a 12 with a circle around it on the guy's neck.
Buzz, stop it there, please.
So, Robert Keller was able to describe an identifying tattoo on one of Tyler Rhodesâ murderers and recall the license plate.
Why have there been no arrests? Well, that specific tattoo is really common among the 12th Street Rounders, and the vehicle with that plate came up as stolen.
It was recovered in Griffith Park a week ago, completely wiped clean.
Not a fingerprint on it, ma'am.
And I'm guessing that no other witnesses to Tyler's murder have come forward.
Not from that neighborhood, sir.
Captain, Ryan Keller, the victim's brother, has come back in.
Let's go.
Thank you.
Hey, Buzz.
Let's play the whole thing from the beginning again.
So, uh Julio.
May I ask you a personal question? How did you decide to join the police? When I was 13, a couple of gangsters murdered my cat, Osa.
I decided to keep track of her killers, so one day I could arrest them.
For killing your cat? Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Um, eventually, I got them for, uh, attempted murder and rape.
You know, by then, they were third strikers, so I put them away for the rest of their lives.
It felt good.
Robbie was tough, goal-oriented, driven.
He got his undergrad degree in three years, and was getting his master's in two.
He set the bar very high for me.
I'm a third-year undergrad.
Uh, we we were supposed to be roommates this year, but Robbie decided it was time for him to start giving back to his community.
He believed that.
You are aware that part of giving back to his community involved your brother using monies from your family's trust to purchase vacant lots Yeah, but that that wasn't a problem.
No, Robbie has Had Robbie had his own trust fund, and I have mine, and they're completely separate.
So, you didn't have any problem with what Robert was doing? Well, I didn't say that.
Trying to change things in a neighborhood like that without protection Oh, he had a serious dog.
Well, Max looked fierce to you because he probably hadn't been fed or or let out since Robbie Since Robbie was shot to death.
Anyway, Max is why I'm here.
He's not a guard dog.
He's a family pet.
And I was hoping to take him home.
My mother's asking for him.
Max is with Animal Control, and they can't release him until they assess he's not a threat.
Wait, a-a threat? - Mm-hmm.
- No, no.
Oh, my God.
Please don't think I'm criticizing anybody here, but it really seems like you are putting more effort into holding our dog than finding the people who murdered my brother and Tyler.
Well, we will eventually identify the three men that your brother saw murder Tyler Rhodes, but before we do that No, there weren't three.
There were four.
Three guys got out of the Cadillac, but one stayed in the backseat.
- That's what Robbie told me.
- That's not what he told the LAPD.
But this fourth person did Robert say anything about him? Only that it was a kid he'd been helping in the neighborhood.
Um, maybe a relative of Tyler's.
I-I can't say for sure.
But I-I know I know who could.
Thank you, Mrs.
Rhodes, for agreeing to meet with us this evening.
Did you catch the people that killed my boy? No, ma'am.
Not yet.
But we found someone who might be able to help.
Thank God.
- Who is this person? - You, ma'am.
During the initial investigation, a witness said three people were in the Cadillac that ran down your son.
We have reason to believe there may have been a fourth person.
Perhaps a relative of yours.
Is this possible? I'll tell you what I told the police who came 'round when my son got killed.
IDon't Know Anything.
Mrs.
Rhodes, two people are dead, and we're trying to put the people responsible for those murders behind bars.
When it was just my baby who got killed, you didn't care.
No one ever came 'round asking me about no fourth person in that Cadillac.
All we got were two squad cars putting flares in the street, gone the next day.
Some rich white boy gets killed, and so many police come around, you can't get the mail without running into them.
Ma'am, we canvassed the neighborhood, we couldn't get anyone to talk to us.
Now, if you knew that there was a fourth person in that Cadillac and you didn't tell the police I don't never talk to anyone about the Rounders.
And my son didn't, either! You stand up to the Rounders, they will shoot you dead.
No, no.
This isn't about Ty.
It's about that rich white boy.
And don't you try to tell me different.
Mrs.
Rhodes, we're doing everything we can to find your son's killers.
Her son's killers? - But we need your help to identify - Her son's killers?! What about my son's killers? Sir, this was a courtesy briefing, arranged to demonstrate that we are making progress here.
In the murder of another person's child.
I am not interested in hearing some ghetto woman justify her silence.
Make her cooperate! Look, just because my son lived like those people doesn't mean he had to die like those people! - "Those people"? - Oh, come on.
You know what I mean.
Look, I am sorry if I was misunderstood, but I expect progress, and apparently it's gonna be up to me to get it.
With regard to my elder son's death, I am pleased to inform the public that the murder investigation is proceeding much faster than originally anticipated.
For the last 10 months, there has been an LAPD/FBI joint task force in the Rampart District where my son's death occurred.
- My God, he's telling them everything.
- Gang members in that area are being monitored with wire taps, undercover officers We need to start making an arrest right now.
And any and all means of surveillance available to those two fine law-enforcement agencies.
I can't believe he just ruined the best chance we have of finding his own son's murderer.
Are brought to justice.
So, uh, since you're not personally making any arrests this morning I haven't had time to read the permission forms just yet.
But but don't you already know what they say? They were written by lawyers, so no one knows what they say.
I'm trying to solve two murders at once, so give me a moment.
Special Agent Howard, good news? As it regards information over our wires about Tyler Rhodes and Robert Keller, no.
As soon as the congressman alerted everyone, our phone lines went dead.
Um, ma'am, it didn't stop us from making an arrest, though.
We're filling up the L.
A.
City Stadium with Rounders.
It's great.
than 200 arrests Merry Christmas.
- What about Tyler's cousin? - We have him.
We took Daryl Walker into custody 20 minutes ago.
He was carrying the same caliber gun that killed his cousin.
I want to march Daryl through the stadium before bringing him in let everyone know we have him, ma'am.
I'm running off to check his weapon with Ballistics.
I'll see you back in the murder room.
- And thank you, everyone.
- Copy that.
So, 1,000 police officers to arrest 200 people? Well, this task force wasn't ended in the usual way.
People weren't necessarily where we thought they would be.
But but why take them all to the stadium instead of jail? Well, it helps to process people out in the open, and that way, um, gang members can see each other, and then this contest starts to be the first person to talk to the police.
So a day like today must be like Why you became a police officer in the first place, right? Well, I had no intention of being a police officer.
I only took this job so that I could help pay Jack's way through law school, and then Jack was gonna help pay my way through law school And then? And then I got pregnant, then I got pregnant again, and then and then Jack left.
And to be entirely honest with you, by then, I like the law a lot better than I like lawyers.
And then there's the idea of saving people from bad things.
I like that, too.
Yeah.
I know.
Sorry, Daryl.
We had to talk to you about your cousin Tyler.
- I didn't do nothing! - If you didn't do anything, Daryl, how come we found you hiding out in your mother's attic? I didn't need to be found.
I wasn't missing.
I've been hanging out in that attic for days.
Oh, yeah? With this? A gun, which Ballistics just confirmed is the weapon that killed your cousin Tyler two weeks ago.
Daryl, this can go two ways.
One don't say another word, and you go to prison for the murder of your cousin.
Or, two, tell us how you came to have this gun, we go arrest the guys who really did kill Tyler, and you go free.
Free?! You know what's gonna happen to me when I leave here?! After the Rounders think I talked to you?! We could offer you protection.
You couldn't even protect Rob Keller! It was crazy for the Rounders to kill him! And they did it anyway.
Rounders are psychos, man! Is there a reason why 200 members of the 12th Street Rounders were arrested - and no one thought to call me? - Yes, because that's not our concern.
We're only trying to find a suspect in the murders of Robert Keller and Tyler Rhodes.
Listen, Daryl.
Robert Keller saw you in the Cadillac that ran over your cousin.
Keller tried to protect you by not telling us that.
But now we know, and here you are, with the gun that killed your cousin.
Come on, Daryl.
You really want to go to prison for the rest of your life, or do you want to talk to us? They grabbed me, okay? - Off the street.
- Who grabbed you? The Rounders? Who else do you think?! They shoved me in the backseat of their car.
Said we was gonna go find Ty.
He He was just riding his bike, man.
And they ran him down.
They put a gun in my face.
Told me I had to watch.
Then they shot Ty in the head.
In the head, man! And they got back in the car, drove off.
They tossed the gun out.
So I went back and found it, so I could So I So you could find the men who killed your cousin and shoot them.
Well, what were you gonna do about it?! Nothing! I mean, y'all didn't do nothing! Tell us their names, Daryl, and you'll see what we do about it.
You walked around the stadium.
Did you see them there? Listen to me, Daryl.
If we have the people who killed your cousin in custody, this is the time to tell us.
Who are they? Who are they, Daryl? Shorty Wallace T-Ray Smith And Lavar Miller.
I bet you're the one who murdered Tyler Rhodes.
Oh, whatever, man.
You ain't got nothing on me.
You weren't driving the car that ran Tyler off the road? - Before you and your friends shot him? - Tyler who, man? I have a witness.
You saw him.
He went back and picked up the gun you threw from the window.
I never threw no gun from a window! Leave me alone, bitch! Listen, you may have some gun, but I ain't use it to kill nobody! Interesting, because we found your prints on the clip.
I never touched that gun! Okay.
You never touched the gun, you never saw it before, fine.
Here's how it works.
I got one deal and three killers.
Whoever talks first gets a lawyer, a D.
A.
, second-degree murder with a parole date in 15 years.
The other two You don't talk, you're looking at life without parole.
I already told you, bitch, I don't know anything.
- I didn't kill nobody.
- T-Ray did.
T-Ray shot the kid.
Buzz, let Detective Sykes and Sanchez know we have a winner in round 1, and we are moving on.
Okay.
Okay, everyone, we're switching over to Robert Keller.
All right, T-Ray.
The deal for Tyler it's gone.
You missed second-degree murder.
You want to skip the death penalty for murdering Robert Keller? - I could get you life without - What you think, I'm stupid? We are sitting here, aren't we? Wouldn't nobody kill that Keller guy.
If we even went near that dude, the whole city would come down on us.
The whole state.
So, you killed Tyler in front of Keller's house why? To scare Keller away? Nobody cared anything about scaring him away.
Just making sure people know we was in control.
Lieutenant, let's get T-Ray an attorney, and you can jump in with Agent Howard.
Don't you think we're moving a little fast on this deal? These guys may have lots more to tell us.
We're hearing it, Emma.
Just listen.
He get all them people to look down on us we handled that.
If there was a direct order from their shot-caller to leave the congressman's son alone, they probably would have done that, and the Rounders' risk assessment is right.
Killing a congressman's son is probably the worst thing they could have done to themselves.
So, if the gang didn't shoot Robert Keller, who did? These guys really killed that 15-year-old kid, Tyler, just to make an example out of him? Sounds horrible I've seen worse.
Where did you see worse? Kabul.
While I was an MP Stands for "Military Police" We had interpreters, locals, and they were murdered sometimes for helping us, just to show what would happen to Afghans who supported our troops.
Military Police? Is that how you became a cop? Police officer, you mean.
No, I went ahead and got my undergrad in political science.
Turns out chasing bad guys is a lot more fun than arguing about government.
Working Homicide it's clearer who the bad guys are.
Couldn't always stop them in Kabul.
Here I can.
Best job in the world.
All this says is that you caught the men who murdered the other boy, not the ones who are responsible for the death of my son.
Actually, we think of it as a step forward, sir.
If you look at Lavar's sta You arrested 200 of these gang members without finding Robert's killer.
What the hell have you people been doing? We've been cleaning up your mess, sir.
Not only did talking to the press screw up the investigation of your son's murder, it also exposed our task force.
You jeopardized the lives of multiple undercover officers! Because you were jeopardizing innocent civilians.
Whatever your motives, congressman, you improperly revealed the contents of a classified operation, and I am reporting that to my bosses in Washington.
- Are you threatening me again? - Dad dad, enough.
Please.
Are you threatening me again? - Agent Howard, I asked you a question.
- He's not threatening you, sir.
Agent Howard and I are merely documenting the systematic way you have used your status as a congressman to interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation by the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the LAPD, and it is that information that we are handing over to the House Ethics Committee, sir.
You're documenting my status as a congressman? Yes.
How about documenting my status as the father of a murder victim, whose son was gunned down in his own living room? How about documenting the way that law-enforcement officers left innocent people in danger while refusing to arrest known criminals? And my rage are you documenting that? Because every second that goes by without an arrest, I am only getting angrier and angrier.
Representative Keller, I sympathize with your situation more than you know.
In fact, I am taking your feelings so seriously that I have to ask you to excuse me while I follow up on a brand-new development.
So, Major Crimes arrests spree killers, makes deals with gangsters, and returns dogs to their owners? Captain has decided that Max here is more of a witness than a pet, and you should know by now how seriously we look after our witnesses.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, it's kind of weird how much trouble you guys go to to protect people you don't even know.
What made you want to do that? - Me, personally? - Yeah.
I started out in med school.
You know, make my folks happy.
I thought I'd work in an E.
R.
But the more I learned about being a doctor, the more it seemed about paperwork and liability insurance.
Physicians spend a lot of time covering their butts.
We spend a lot of time covering each other, and I like it better that way.
Where is my son?! You can't keep putting me off any longer! Ma'am, ma'am, please have a seat and lower your voice.
No, I won't! Give me back my son right now! - No, this is the place! Please! - Your son is not here anymore, ma'am.
Please! Somebody help me! Mrs.
Walker, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor.
I'm sorry to inform you, but your son has been arrested for the murder of his cousin, Tyler Rhodes.
What? No.
Not my Daryl.
Not my son! Donna, shut up.
Go on out in the hallway.
I'll handle this.
- Daryl was forced into that car! - Donna! I said get out.
Get her out of here.
- Jada! - You wait.
Ain't nothing gonna happen to Daryl.
I'll handle these people.
There's nothing to handle, Mrs.
Rhodes.
Your nephew is being charged with the murder of your son.
Daryl never killed Tyler! He was in the vehicle with other Rounders when they ran down Tyler on his bicycle.
- Legally, that makes him an accomplice.
- Daryl is not a Rounder! Ma'am, we found him with the murder weapon.
I don't care! Daryl never killed Tyler! They forced him to watch.
To show him and everybody else what would happen if they did anything to help a A crazy fool Who walked into our neighborhood with no idea what it took for us to stay alive.
I tried so hard to give Tyler hope, without taking away his sense.
To make him tough without making him hard.
And then that Robert came along and undid everything! You can't take Daryl, too.
We worked so hard to save those boys.
We worked so hard to save them! I lost Tyler.
That needs to be enough.
Mrs.
Rhodes, Robert Keller's dog seems to know you very well.
There's only one way to save your nephew, Mrs.
Rhodes.
We need to know who really killed Robert Keller.
If we corroborate a confession and Daryl's testimony against the Rounders, I could get your nephew into the witness-protection program, but you have to tell the truth.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have a right to an attorney - What are you what are you doing? - Getting you out of there.
- But that woman's about to confess! - Right, so, tell me, how many murder trials would you like to be a witness at? Oh, my God that could happen? Oh, yeah.
Stay here.
We were holding on fine.
Till that Robert Keller marched in.
Giving Ty money, getting him all excited about a life we could never have.
Robert said he was gonna "save us".
We do not need to be saved! And I warned him.
I said, "Stay away from Daryl.
" "Don't try to make him talk to the police," but he wouldn't stop.
I understand how angry the death of a child can make a parent.
But, Mrs.
Rhodes, we've already arrested the people responsible for Tyler's death.
You didn't do nothing to the people responsible.
I killed the person responsible.
I shot him.
I stopped it me! And then you came along and made all your arrests.
What did you ever do for Tyler before I killed Robert Keller and rolled him up in his fancy rug and dragged him to the trash? What did you ever do for Tyler before that? I never had it in me to kill no dog.
You're a good boy, Max.
You hear? I'm not sorry I left you behind.
I'm not sorry about nothing.
So, how many threats related to the Phillip Stroh case are we talking about? There are 27 letters to date.
Five to me, the rest to Rusty.
They are handwritten with a number-one pencil on paper torn from a spiral notebook.
I'll make sure some Bureau analysts get these before the end of the day.
I'll try to have a profile out to you in the next week or so.
Thank you.
Oh, and please give Chief Johnson our best, if you would.
I will.
Captain, we need these waivers signed.
Rusty has no idea what he's getting into.
Who in our business does? You know, not knowing is probably why we're able to Get up and come to work every day.
Rusty's very different from Robert Keller.
One thing he doesn't want to be a witness, which shows he's plenty smart.
He's accepted police protection.
His mental evaluation was great.
And we're not gonna let anything happen to him.
She signed them, Buzz.
The, um the approval papers.
Sharon just signed them.
Well, congratulations.
You didn't screw it up.
Hey, well, maybe this is how I get my start.
Although I-I can't imagine ever working here for a living.
Hey, you know, I talked to everyone else about it, but I never got to you.
I mean, you're you're a part of the squad, right? Um, yeah? Well, so, what made you decide to work here? When I was 11 years old, my father and uncle were leaving a Kings' game, stopped at an ATM on the way home, and were both robbed and shot to death.
Oh, my God.
Buzz, I I am so sorry.
Yeah.
So, I thought, like Julio, I'd join the Academy, become a detective one day, track down the killers myself.
But my mother was terrified something would happen to me and then there'd be no one left to take care of her.
So, I got my film degree instead.
Now here I am, directing an important movie every day of the week, helping rescue those we can.
Maybe rescuing ourselves a little, if we're totally honest about it.
Yeah, I I might be doing that.
Huh.
Rescuing myself.
Well That's what we're all hoping.
What?! When was the last time you saw a free carpet like this? On a corner to be picked up for garbage? Never.
It's not a carpet.
It's a rug, and it stinks.
We rent a steam cleaner, maybe spray a little Febreeze.
No one will know the difference.
And it's expensive, too.
Department-store quality.
Season 2, Episode 16 "Risk Assessment" - Oh, my God! - Geez! - Man, we need to call the police.
- You can't.
Stop.
We'll just take the rug back to where we found it.
Jason, this rug has our DNA on it now.
The police might end up thinking we killed this guy.
- No, they won't.
- So, why did you kill this guy? We didn't.
It was just like we found a free rug on the street.
Yeah, so, you put it in your car, carried it up here, and not once did it seem a little heavy? Good rugs weigh more.
We weren't gonna unroll it on the street where we found it.
- What street? - I'm not sure.
We dropped a friend off at L.
A.
X.
this morning.
And on the way back, traffic was bad.
So, we took a detour and got all turned around, and there it was, across the street from the garden, on the sidewalk.
Take their statements.
Uh, how long are you guys gonna be here? Our annual Christmas party is tonight.
Consider it canceled.
Uh, but, sir! It's Christmas.
Yeah, well, bah, humbug! You've got an unidentified body on your living-room floor.
Get drunk somewhere else.
And you out.
Out, out! Out! What? I've seen dead bodies before.
All right, Buzz.
These two are harmless, everyday idiots.
So it's okay to start filming, and then we'll do a search, and the only reason that you are riding along with us is to see if you can be a team player and follow directions.
And, so far, Mr.
Beck, you are doing a crappy job.
Ah, ah.
Stay in the hall.
Geez.
Why is he being so rude? Not following orders is worse than being rude.
If you want the captain to sign papers approving your participation in an S.
I.
S.
Operation, you better do what the lieutenant says.
But but just standing here is boring.
You expect us all to be fascinated with your life, but you never take the smallest interest in other people.
I do so take an interest in other people.
- I do that all the time.
- All the time? Really? Yeah So, tell me, why did Lieutenant Provenza become a detective? What was Mike Tao going to do before he started working Homicides? The reason you can't answer those questions is because you never ask people about themselves ever.
Not even how they're doing in the morning.
Well, I don't have to ask how you're doing, because you're, like, obviously in a really bad mood.
No.
I'm disappointed again.
One gunshot wound straight to the forehead, fired at pointblank range, no defensive wounds.
So, he never saw it coming.
You have time of death? Considering the rug was an insulator, I'm guessing 12 to 16 hours ago.
So, he was killed somewhere else and brought here by Heckle and Jeckle.
And the only thing they remember about the corner was it's about 15 minutes South of here, and there might have been a garden nearby.
I may be able to get more specific.
I ran our victim's prints and got a hit.
His name is Robert Keller, age 25, graduate student, and he has a record.
Arrested in 2011 for protesting with Occupy Wall Street.
Not a motive for murder, really.
No, but in addition to having a record, he's listed as a witness to hmm Doesn't say.
A witness gets shot in the head and rolled up in a rug? Does the, uh, victim's record show a current address? So, I've been thinking over, uh, being a team player, and if this really is a team, then shouldn't I know more about the people playing on it? You asking a question about us? Yes.
Why is that such a huge surprise? It's not like I'm an egomaniac.
I am interested in other people.
Mkay All right.
What are you interested in? Well, you know, like, w-why did you become a police officer? Uh'Cause I'm scared of fire.
I'd rather be shot at than stand on the roof of a burning building surrounded by flames.
Plus, I enjoy telling people what to do.
It's fulfilling.
And, uh, what about you, Lieutenant Flynn? Oh, God.
Do the short version, please.
When I was a kid, my older brother and I, we, uh, "borrowed" a motorcycle belonged to my cousin and took it for a joyride.
And this cop, officer Nichols, he caught us and brought us downtown, showed us the jail, and said, "This is where you're headed.
" Now, my brother, he didn't think too much of officer Nichols.
But, me, I decided, better putting people in jail than going there myself.
Right? - So, you were almost a criminal.
- Ah, here we are.
Okay, enough about us.
Now, about you.
You stay by my side until I say differently.
There's the garden those two morons talked about.
- Come on.
Come on.
- Look, a tassel by this memorial.
Like the ones on the rug the victim was rolled in.
Oh, there's blood on it, too, sir.
This is the place.
Why is a college kid living here when campus is only blocks away? It's pretty far outside the fence.
Mike, you have an apartment number for our victim? I think it's that one.
And how do you know that, Detective Beck? Because that's where Brenda's husband is standing.
Never good to find an FBI agent at your crime scene.
When the LAPD searched Keller's fingerprints on AFIS, we were notified.
Why would the FBI be notified unless our victim was involved in an FBI investigation? - He was.
And did you say "victim"? - He did.
And you are? Detective Shawn McElroy, Rampart Division.
Last 10 months, I've been running a joint task force down here with the FBI.
Wires, undercover whole nine yards.
Keller was our only witness to a gang shooting.
You're saying he was murdered? Yeah, we found his body a few miles away, about an hour ago.
Excuse me, but if you came to check on Keller, why are you just standing outside his apartment? Okay, coming through Stay.
Doorjamb and windows intact.
Even if someone had broken in, this dog would have had them for lunch.
- The killer knew the victim.
- Uh And the dog.
Yeah, Buzz, what do you got? The garden across the street I think it belonged to our victim.
Garden plans.
Found the victim's wallet.
Contains cash and credit cards, so probably not a robbery.
Sir.
This is where Keller was shot, and here's the casing.
Robert Keller writes in his journal "Witnessing Tyler's murder proved to me how important the work I'm doing here is.
" - Who's Tyler? - Tyler Rhodes That was the boy that Keller saw being shot to death by the 12th Street Rounders.
Rounders run this territory.
They specialize in protection rackets.
Tyler Rhodes is that his memorial out front? Yeah.
Okay, Special Agent Howard, Detective McElroy, I would like all of your crime reports, your notes Oh, hold on.
I've been working this task force almost a year.
Keller was my witness.
You can't expect me to just hand my case over to you.
Well, fine.
Fine.
If I can't expect you to do it, I'll order you to do it.
And since it's connected, we'll take the Tyler Rhodes murder, as well.
- Exactly.
- Wait, wait, wait.
Look, considering who Robert Keller's father is, I think we should be sharing information.
Why? Who's Robert Keller's father? Congressman Steven Keller.
He's on his way up here right now.
He'll be looking for answers.
Tell me we have some.
Not yet.
Sir, the bullet that killed our victim has been analyzed.
Its casing doesn't match any weapon in the NIBIN database.
But the motive, chief, is related to the victim's role as a witness in a gang murder.
What? The joint task force was collaborating with this boy? Sir, two weeks ago, Robert Keller saw three members of the Rounders shoot a teenage boy in the head.
And you left Keller out there? Whose brilliant idea was that? It was Keller's.
We tried to get him to leave.
But he wanted to serve as an example of the community.
Why wasn't I informed of this? I am a listed supervisor of this joint task force.
The FBI wanted to withhold all names related to this murder while we wrapped up our Rounders investigation, which we will try and do in about two weeks.
No.
We're not sitting on this murder until after Christmas.
With all due respect, chief, you didn't mind us sitting on things when we were only dealing with the murder of a 15-year-old black boy.
People may be created equal, but they sure as hell don't die that way.
Witnesses hold pride of place in our justice system.
You want to make this about race? Here we have two white guys who withheld vital information from a black supervisor.
I'll tell you what let's take color out of the equation while we deal with how badly you both screwed up.
Chief Taylor, if we could just move forward for a moment first.
Assuming that Robert Keller's murder was related to his role as a witness, perhaps Major Crimes could have access to the joint task force surveillance of the Rounders.
That's not possible, captain.
We'll return to this issue in a minute.
And while the congressman is here, I expect 100% support from everyone.
Yes.
All right.
Sir.
Assistant Chief Taylor, I appreciate the courtesy you're showing me by having this meeting.
Of course, congressman Keller.
Of course.
Come in.
And I speak for the entire department when I say how very, very sorry we are for your loss.
Thank you.
Special Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI, sir.
The Bureau extends its sympathy to you and your family.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
And I am struggling.
My son Ryan and I are struggling to understand why, given Robert's importance as a witness in a federal investigation, he was not afforded more protection.
Detective McElroy, sir.
Your son declined to be moved and refused a security detail on three occasions.
We even had him sign a waiver.
Why wasn't I notified my son declined protection? Congressman Keller, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor, and I am the officer in charge of investigating your son's murder.
Unfortunately, Robert was 25 and legally an adult.
You're telling me that my son died because of some bullshit right to privacy? Sir, right now, the LAPD and the FBI are working together in the neighborhood where your son was living.
We have officers and wire taps in place.
It won't be long until somebody talks about this crime, and we'll be able to make an arrest.
Just a moment.
Is that a suggestion that law enforcement not immediately respond? - Dad, just - No.
Because I am recommending a serious change in your do-nothing work day! I want no, I demand that every officer, every detective, and every FBI agent involved in this task force turn that neighborhood upside down until you find the animals who murdered my son! Dad, please, stop.
This isn't helping anything.
- Robbie wouldn't want you to do this.
- Ryan, please.
Please.
Agent Howard, I trust I've made myself understood.
You have.
But I should remind you, congressman, I don't work for you, and neither does anyone in the LAPD.
And if you attempt to interfere with a criminal investigation using your position or influence as a member of the House of Representatives Excuse me, Agent Howard.
If I may, congressman, because your son was shot during a task-force investigation, it's very likely we already have the killer's phones wired.
Just waiting two days, we might hear the murderers confess on their cellphones or land lines.
I'll give you 48 hours.
And, Agent Howard, don't think for one minute that I'll forget that you threatened me on the day that my son died.
Don't think I'll forget it.
I'll be back this evening for a briefing on your progress.
Hey.
Uh, there's nothing else for me to do, uh, and I've been following Lieutenant Provenza's instructions perfectly, so, can you sign off on the permission forms allowing me to participate in a police operation? First, there's lots else for you to do, and they're not just permission forms.
It's a series of five agreements.
I have to read all of them before I can sign anything.
Yeah, go help Buzz upload and organize his crime-scene video.
Move away from the board.
Sykes, where are we on the first victim? Uh, Tyler Rhodes gunned down outside of the apartment building where he resided, across the way from Robert Keller.
Why was Robert Keller living in a gang neighborhood? Well, according to his journal, it was to help those less fortunate by converting their neighborhoods into enriched habitats, one garden at a time.
Like the lot he was using across the street from where he lived was filled with vegetable plants.
Robert Keller wasn't just planting gardens, ma'am, he was worried about the neighborhood kids, too.
He was paying Tyler and another boy $100 a week each to garden and paint over graffiti.
Painting over gang graffiti That couldn't have made the 12th Street Rounders happy.
I think the congressman's son underestimated his vulnerability.
Ma'am, Detective McElroy just sent over a video copy of Robert Keller's statement taken the night of Tyler's murder.
Mr.
Keller, why don't we go back to your apartment? No, I'm gonna talk to you right here Where everybody can see me.
I'm not afraid, detective.
Just let me tell you what happened, okay? I was in my apartment.
I heard screeching tires and yelling, so I looked out.
I saw Tyler and his bicycle under the front end of a car.
Uh, can you describe the vehicle? Yes, it was a silver early-century Cadillac.
Plate number 5-CRD-518.
Three guys got out of the car.
They kicked Tyler in the face.
And in his chest and his stomach.
Then there was a gun, and they pointed it at Tyler's head.
They fired three times.
Drove away.
Do you remember anything about these men? They were black, maybe 20, 21 years old.
They all had tattoos.
One was a 12 with a circle around it on the guy's neck.
Buzz, stop it there, please.
So, Robert Keller was able to describe an identifying tattoo on one of Tyler Rhodesâ murderers and recall the license plate.
Why have there been no arrests? Well, that specific tattoo is really common among the 12th Street Rounders, and the vehicle with that plate came up as stolen.
It was recovered in Griffith Park a week ago, completely wiped clean.
Not a fingerprint on it, ma'am.
And I'm guessing that no other witnesses to Tyler's murder have come forward.
Not from that neighborhood, sir.
Captain, Ryan Keller, the victim's brother, has come back in.
Let's go.
Thank you.
Hey, Buzz.
Let's play the whole thing from the beginning again.
So, uh Julio.
May I ask you a personal question? How did you decide to join the police? When I was 13, a couple of gangsters murdered my cat, Osa.
I decided to keep track of her killers, so one day I could arrest them.
For killing your cat? Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Um, eventually, I got them for, uh, attempted murder and rape.
You know, by then, they were third strikers, so I put them away for the rest of their lives.
It felt good.
Robbie was tough, goal-oriented, driven.
He got his undergrad degree in three years, and was getting his master's in two.
He set the bar very high for me.
I'm a third-year undergrad.
Uh, we we were supposed to be roommates this year, but Robbie decided it was time for him to start giving back to his community.
He believed that.
You are aware that part of giving back to his community involved your brother using monies from your family's trust to purchase vacant lots Yeah, but that that wasn't a problem.
No, Robbie has Had Robbie had his own trust fund, and I have mine, and they're completely separate.
So, you didn't have any problem with what Robert was doing? Well, I didn't say that.
Trying to change things in a neighborhood like that without protection Oh, he had a serious dog.
Well, Max looked fierce to you because he probably hadn't been fed or or let out since Robbie Since Robbie was shot to death.
Anyway, Max is why I'm here.
He's not a guard dog.
He's a family pet.
And I was hoping to take him home.
My mother's asking for him.
Max is with Animal Control, and they can't release him until they assess he's not a threat.
Wait, a-a threat? - Mm-hmm.
- No, no.
Oh, my God.
Please don't think I'm criticizing anybody here, but it really seems like you are putting more effort into holding our dog than finding the people who murdered my brother and Tyler.
Well, we will eventually identify the three men that your brother saw murder Tyler Rhodes, but before we do that No, there weren't three.
There were four.
Three guys got out of the Cadillac, but one stayed in the backseat.
- That's what Robbie told me.
- That's not what he told the LAPD.
But this fourth person did Robert say anything about him? Only that it was a kid he'd been helping in the neighborhood.
Um, maybe a relative of Tyler's.
I-I can't say for sure.
But I-I know I know who could.
Thank you, Mrs.
Rhodes, for agreeing to meet with us this evening.
Did you catch the people that killed my boy? No, ma'am.
Not yet.
But we found someone who might be able to help.
Thank God.
- Who is this person? - You, ma'am.
During the initial investigation, a witness said three people were in the Cadillac that ran down your son.
We have reason to believe there may have been a fourth person.
Perhaps a relative of yours.
Is this possible? I'll tell you what I told the police who came 'round when my son got killed.
IDon't Know Anything.
Mrs.
Rhodes, two people are dead, and we're trying to put the people responsible for those murders behind bars.
When it was just my baby who got killed, you didn't care.
No one ever came 'round asking me about no fourth person in that Cadillac.
All we got were two squad cars putting flares in the street, gone the next day.
Some rich white boy gets killed, and so many police come around, you can't get the mail without running into them.
Ma'am, we canvassed the neighborhood, we couldn't get anyone to talk to us.
Now, if you knew that there was a fourth person in that Cadillac and you didn't tell the police I don't never talk to anyone about the Rounders.
And my son didn't, either! You stand up to the Rounders, they will shoot you dead.
No, no.
This isn't about Ty.
It's about that rich white boy.
And don't you try to tell me different.
Mrs.
Rhodes, we're doing everything we can to find your son's killers.
Her son's killers? - But we need your help to identify - Her son's killers?! What about my son's killers? Sir, this was a courtesy briefing, arranged to demonstrate that we are making progress here.
In the murder of another person's child.
I am not interested in hearing some ghetto woman justify her silence.
Make her cooperate! Look, just because my son lived like those people doesn't mean he had to die like those people! - "Those people"? - Oh, come on.
You know what I mean.
Look, I am sorry if I was misunderstood, but I expect progress, and apparently it's gonna be up to me to get it.
With regard to my elder son's death, I am pleased to inform the public that the murder investigation is proceeding much faster than originally anticipated.
For the last 10 months, there has been an LAPD/FBI joint task force in the Rampart District where my son's death occurred.
- My God, he's telling them everything.
- Gang members in that area are being monitored with wire taps, undercover officers We need to start making an arrest right now.
And any and all means of surveillance available to those two fine law-enforcement agencies.
I can't believe he just ruined the best chance we have of finding his own son's murderer.
Are brought to justice.
So, uh, since you're not personally making any arrests this morning I haven't had time to read the permission forms just yet.
But but don't you already know what they say? They were written by lawyers, so no one knows what they say.
I'm trying to solve two murders at once, so give me a moment.
Special Agent Howard, good news? As it regards information over our wires about Tyler Rhodes and Robert Keller, no.
As soon as the congressman alerted everyone, our phone lines went dead.
Um, ma'am, it didn't stop us from making an arrest, though.
We're filling up the L.
A.
City Stadium with Rounders.
It's great.
than 200 arrests Merry Christmas.
- What about Tyler's cousin? - We have him.
We took Daryl Walker into custody 20 minutes ago.
He was carrying the same caliber gun that killed his cousin.
I want to march Daryl through the stadium before bringing him in let everyone know we have him, ma'am.
I'm running off to check his weapon with Ballistics.
I'll see you back in the murder room.
- And thank you, everyone.
- Copy that.
So, 1,000 police officers to arrest 200 people? Well, this task force wasn't ended in the usual way.
People weren't necessarily where we thought they would be.
But but why take them all to the stadium instead of jail? Well, it helps to process people out in the open, and that way, um, gang members can see each other, and then this contest starts to be the first person to talk to the police.
So a day like today must be like Why you became a police officer in the first place, right? Well, I had no intention of being a police officer.
I only took this job so that I could help pay Jack's way through law school, and then Jack was gonna help pay my way through law school And then? And then I got pregnant, then I got pregnant again, and then and then Jack left.
And to be entirely honest with you, by then, I like the law a lot better than I like lawyers.
And then there's the idea of saving people from bad things.
I like that, too.
Yeah.
I know.
Sorry, Daryl.
We had to talk to you about your cousin Tyler.
- I didn't do nothing! - If you didn't do anything, Daryl, how come we found you hiding out in your mother's attic? I didn't need to be found.
I wasn't missing.
I've been hanging out in that attic for days.
Oh, yeah? With this? A gun, which Ballistics just confirmed is the weapon that killed your cousin Tyler two weeks ago.
Daryl, this can go two ways.
One don't say another word, and you go to prison for the murder of your cousin.
Or, two, tell us how you came to have this gun, we go arrest the guys who really did kill Tyler, and you go free.
Free?! You know what's gonna happen to me when I leave here?! After the Rounders think I talked to you?! We could offer you protection.
You couldn't even protect Rob Keller! It was crazy for the Rounders to kill him! And they did it anyway.
Rounders are psychos, man! Is there a reason why 200 members of the 12th Street Rounders were arrested - and no one thought to call me? - Yes, because that's not our concern.
We're only trying to find a suspect in the murders of Robert Keller and Tyler Rhodes.
Listen, Daryl.
Robert Keller saw you in the Cadillac that ran over your cousin.
Keller tried to protect you by not telling us that.
But now we know, and here you are, with the gun that killed your cousin.
Come on, Daryl.
You really want to go to prison for the rest of your life, or do you want to talk to us? They grabbed me, okay? - Off the street.
- Who grabbed you? The Rounders? Who else do you think?! They shoved me in the backseat of their car.
Said we was gonna go find Ty.
He He was just riding his bike, man.
And they ran him down.
They put a gun in my face.
Told me I had to watch.
Then they shot Ty in the head.
In the head, man! And they got back in the car, drove off.
They tossed the gun out.
So I went back and found it, so I could So I So you could find the men who killed your cousin and shoot them.
Well, what were you gonna do about it?! Nothing! I mean, y'all didn't do nothing! Tell us their names, Daryl, and you'll see what we do about it.
You walked around the stadium.
Did you see them there? Listen to me, Daryl.
If we have the people who killed your cousin in custody, this is the time to tell us.
Who are they? Who are they, Daryl? Shorty Wallace T-Ray Smith And Lavar Miller.
I bet you're the one who murdered Tyler Rhodes.
Oh, whatever, man.
You ain't got nothing on me.
You weren't driving the car that ran Tyler off the road? - Before you and your friends shot him? - Tyler who, man? I have a witness.
You saw him.
He went back and picked up the gun you threw from the window.
I never threw no gun from a window! Leave me alone, bitch! Listen, you may have some gun, but I ain't use it to kill nobody! Interesting, because we found your prints on the clip.
I never touched that gun! Okay.
You never touched the gun, you never saw it before, fine.
Here's how it works.
I got one deal and three killers.
Whoever talks first gets a lawyer, a D.
A.
, second-degree murder with a parole date in 15 years.
The other two You don't talk, you're looking at life without parole.
I already told you, bitch, I don't know anything.
- I didn't kill nobody.
- T-Ray did.
T-Ray shot the kid.
Buzz, let Detective Sykes and Sanchez know we have a winner in round 1, and we are moving on.
Okay.
Okay, everyone, we're switching over to Robert Keller.
All right, T-Ray.
The deal for Tyler it's gone.
You missed second-degree murder.
You want to skip the death penalty for murdering Robert Keller? - I could get you life without - What you think, I'm stupid? We are sitting here, aren't we? Wouldn't nobody kill that Keller guy.
If we even went near that dude, the whole city would come down on us.
The whole state.
So, you killed Tyler in front of Keller's house why? To scare Keller away? Nobody cared anything about scaring him away.
Just making sure people know we was in control.
Lieutenant, let's get T-Ray an attorney, and you can jump in with Agent Howard.
Don't you think we're moving a little fast on this deal? These guys may have lots more to tell us.
We're hearing it, Emma.
Just listen.
He get all them people to look down on us we handled that.
If there was a direct order from their shot-caller to leave the congressman's son alone, they probably would have done that, and the Rounders' risk assessment is right.
Killing a congressman's son is probably the worst thing they could have done to themselves.
So, if the gang didn't shoot Robert Keller, who did? These guys really killed that 15-year-old kid, Tyler, just to make an example out of him? Sounds horrible I've seen worse.
Where did you see worse? Kabul.
While I was an MP Stands for "Military Police" We had interpreters, locals, and they were murdered sometimes for helping us, just to show what would happen to Afghans who supported our troops.
Military Police? Is that how you became a cop? Police officer, you mean.
No, I went ahead and got my undergrad in political science.
Turns out chasing bad guys is a lot more fun than arguing about government.
Working Homicide it's clearer who the bad guys are.
Couldn't always stop them in Kabul.
Here I can.
Best job in the world.
All this says is that you caught the men who murdered the other boy, not the ones who are responsible for the death of my son.
Actually, we think of it as a step forward, sir.
If you look at Lavar's sta You arrested 200 of these gang members without finding Robert's killer.
What the hell have you people been doing? We've been cleaning up your mess, sir.
Not only did talking to the press screw up the investigation of your son's murder, it also exposed our task force.
You jeopardized the lives of multiple undercover officers! Because you were jeopardizing innocent civilians.
Whatever your motives, congressman, you improperly revealed the contents of a classified operation, and I am reporting that to my bosses in Washington.
- Are you threatening me again? - Dad dad, enough.
Please.
Are you threatening me again? - Agent Howard, I asked you a question.
- He's not threatening you, sir.
Agent Howard and I are merely documenting the systematic way you have used your status as a congressman to interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation by the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the LAPD, and it is that information that we are handing over to the House Ethics Committee, sir.
You're documenting my status as a congressman? Yes.
How about documenting my status as the father of a murder victim, whose son was gunned down in his own living room? How about documenting the way that law-enforcement officers left innocent people in danger while refusing to arrest known criminals? And my rage are you documenting that? Because every second that goes by without an arrest, I am only getting angrier and angrier.
Representative Keller, I sympathize with your situation more than you know.
In fact, I am taking your feelings so seriously that I have to ask you to excuse me while I follow up on a brand-new development.
So, Major Crimes arrests spree killers, makes deals with gangsters, and returns dogs to their owners? Captain has decided that Max here is more of a witness than a pet, and you should know by now how seriously we look after our witnesses.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, it's kind of weird how much trouble you guys go to to protect people you don't even know.
What made you want to do that? - Me, personally? - Yeah.
I started out in med school.
You know, make my folks happy.
I thought I'd work in an E.
R.
But the more I learned about being a doctor, the more it seemed about paperwork and liability insurance.
Physicians spend a lot of time covering their butts.
We spend a lot of time covering each other, and I like it better that way.
Where is my son?! You can't keep putting me off any longer! Ma'am, ma'am, please have a seat and lower your voice.
No, I won't! Give me back my son right now! - No, this is the place! Please! - Your son is not here anymore, ma'am.
Please! Somebody help me! Mrs.
Walker, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor.
I'm sorry to inform you, but your son has been arrested for the murder of his cousin, Tyler Rhodes.
What? No.
Not my Daryl.
Not my son! Donna, shut up.
Go on out in the hallway.
I'll handle this.
- Daryl was forced into that car! - Donna! I said get out.
Get her out of here.
- Jada! - You wait.
Ain't nothing gonna happen to Daryl.
I'll handle these people.
There's nothing to handle, Mrs.
Rhodes.
Your nephew is being charged with the murder of your son.
Daryl never killed Tyler! He was in the vehicle with other Rounders when they ran down Tyler on his bicycle.
- Legally, that makes him an accomplice.
- Daryl is not a Rounder! Ma'am, we found him with the murder weapon.
I don't care! Daryl never killed Tyler! They forced him to watch.
To show him and everybody else what would happen if they did anything to help a A crazy fool Who walked into our neighborhood with no idea what it took for us to stay alive.
I tried so hard to give Tyler hope, without taking away his sense.
To make him tough without making him hard.
And then that Robert came along and undid everything! You can't take Daryl, too.
We worked so hard to save those boys.
We worked so hard to save them! I lost Tyler.
That needs to be enough.
Mrs.
Rhodes, Robert Keller's dog seems to know you very well.
There's only one way to save your nephew, Mrs.
Rhodes.
We need to know who really killed Robert Keller.
If we corroborate a confession and Daryl's testimony against the Rounders, I could get your nephew into the witness-protection program, but you have to tell the truth.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have a right to an attorney - What are you what are you doing? - Getting you out of there.
- But that woman's about to confess! - Right, so, tell me, how many murder trials would you like to be a witness at? Oh, my God that could happen? Oh, yeah.
Stay here.
We were holding on fine.
Till that Robert Keller marched in.
Giving Ty money, getting him all excited about a life we could never have.
Robert said he was gonna "save us".
We do not need to be saved! And I warned him.
I said, "Stay away from Daryl.
" "Don't try to make him talk to the police," but he wouldn't stop.
I understand how angry the death of a child can make a parent.
But, Mrs.
Rhodes, we've already arrested the people responsible for Tyler's death.
You didn't do nothing to the people responsible.
I killed the person responsible.
I shot him.
I stopped it me! And then you came along and made all your arrests.
What did you ever do for Tyler before I killed Robert Keller and rolled him up in his fancy rug and dragged him to the trash? What did you ever do for Tyler before that? I never had it in me to kill no dog.
You're a good boy, Max.
You hear? I'm not sorry I left you behind.
I'm not sorry about nothing.
So, how many threats related to the Phillip Stroh case are we talking about? There are 27 letters to date.
Five to me, the rest to Rusty.
They are handwritten with a number-one pencil on paper torn from a spiral notebook.
I'll make sure some Bureau analysts get these before the end of the day.
I'll try to have a profile out to you in the next week or so.
Thank you.
Oh, and please give Chief Johnson our best, if you would.
I will.
Captain, we need these waivers signed.
Rusty has no idea what he's getting into.
Who in our business does? You know, not knowing is probably why we're able to Get up and come to work every day.
Rusty's very different from Robert Keller.
One thing he doesn't want to be a witness, which shows he's plenty smart.
He's accepted police protection.
His mental evaluation was great.
And we're not gonna let anything happen to him.
She signed them, Buzz.
The, um the approval papers.
Sharon just signed them.
Well, congratulations.
You didn't screw it up.
Hey, well, maybe this is how I get my start.
Although I-I can't imagine ever working here for a living.
Hey, you know, I talked to everyone else about it, but I never got to you.
I mean, you're you're a part of the squad, right? Um, yeah? Well, so, what made you decide to work here? When I was 11 years old, my father and uncle were leaving a Kings' game, stopped at an ATM on the way home, and were both robbed and shot to death.
Oh, my God.
Buzz, I I am so sorry.
Yeah.
So, I thought, like Julio, I'd join the Academy, become a detective one day, track down the killers myself.
But my mother was terrified something would happen to me and then there'd be no one left to take care of her.
So, I got my film degree instead.
Now here I am, directing an important movie every day of the week, helping rescue those we can.
Maybe rescuing ourselves a little, if we're totally honest about it.
Yeah, I I might be doing that.
Huh.
Rescuing myself.
Well That's what we're all hoping.