- A reformed former convict is shot and killed outside a community center in gang territory. The team tries to solve the crime while Brenda tries to assure a public that has grown wary and skeptical of police cooperation.
- Brenda and her team investigate the shooting death of Reggie Gray, a gardener who worked at a community center run by Father Jack, an activist Franciscan priest with whom Brenda has previously had somewhat strained dealings. The shooting is peculiar in many ways. Reggie was a reformed gang member, having served his time, and from all accounts was on the straight and narrow. There are no gun casings at the scene and no one nearby claims to have heard any shots. Four gangs dominate the area, and Reggie had recently painted over some gang graffiti, which turns out to be a dead end. They get a break in the case when a gas station attendant reports a confrontation between two gang members and the owner of a luxury car.—garykmcd
- Fritz and Brenda drive. She's still bumming over the loss of Kitty. All his (her) stuff is in the back seat for donation. Sgt. Gabriel calls Brenda. There's a body at Father Jack's community center. Fritz turns the car around.
The victim is Reginald Gray, a 35-year-old black man, shot in the back of the head. It's a major case because the center is city owned.
Commander Taylor shows up with Ricardo Ramos, pesky reporter. Reggie's soggy from the 10:30 sprinklers last night. With an hour to kill before the coroner comes for the body, Flynn spitballs a few reasons for the victim's murder, listing alphabetically: "A) a--hole, B) because, C) criminal." Father Jack hears and gets huffy defending Reggie as someone who helped keep kids out of gangs.
Father Jack won't let Brenda search Reggie's room in the church without a warrant. Taylor points out they can't be sure it's Reggie since they can't roll him to remove his wallet. Ricardo helpfully notes the victim's work shirt says "Reggie." "Well," Brenda says to him, "if there's one thing you've taught me, Ricardo, it's don't believe everything you read."
After handing out assignments, Brenda asks Sanchez what else she needs to know about the neighborhood. He takes her to the church, where he pauses at the altar to cross himself. He takes her up to the roof (which gives Brenda a chance to climb a ladder and show off her ridiculously buff arms). Sanchez tells her they're in gang central, with three major gangs and one made up of rejects. One does dope, one does weapons, another does car theft and the last, more dope.
Back at the office, Lt. Flynn surmises Reggie's death had something to do with gangs. Reggie painted over gang graffiti three times last month, including yesterday.
Buzz comes in, needing help translating government language in a letter. He thinks he won a federal grant for new surveillance equipment. He got $70,000.
The coroner explains his findings to Brenda and Gabriel. Reggie was shot with a .32 caliber semi-automatic that should have left a casing. They found none. It looks like it was fired from a distance. He was having old gang tattoos removed.
Gabriel suggests a community meeting to reach out to possible witnesses. Brenda hastily shoots the idea down, refusing to share info with the public.
Later, Pope confronts Brenda about conducting an illegal search of the church, against Father Jack's wishes. He suggests she play nice. They go into a meeting with Father Jack, where he accuses them of leading a witch hunt. To calm him, Brenda steals Gabriel's idea of a community meeting. Father Jack warns them the community won't go easy on them.
Cut to Pope in uniform with citizens yelling at him. Brenda asks for help from the crowd and is greeted with total silence. Ricardo actually is helpful for a change, asking people if they know about possible motives. Reggie's mom defends her son, saying his death had nothing to do with his time in prison. "How many children do we have to bury before this ends?" she cries.
A man says the police don't care, that there was a shooting at a store nearby last night and the police just drove by. Brenda whispers to Provenza to look into it.
Cut to the gas station, where Tao and Gabriel find .32 caliber bullet casings. Sanchez surveys the scene and asks Tao for some lasers.
Back at the center, Brenda talks to Reggie's mom, promising to find who did it. She says people there need something to believe in.
Provenza tells Brenda no report was filed at the gas station last night, officers drove by but kept going when no one was there. Upon hearing about the casings she wants to leave the meeting, but Pope explains she'll be staying.
Sanchez runs back through the church, stopping to cross himself at the altar again. Buzz joins him on the roof. From the gas station parking lot, Tao points his laser, moving it toward the community center blocks away per Sanchez's direction. He moves it slightly and it hits Flynn standing where Reggie was outside the church. He was shot in someone else's gun fight, Sanchez says. "What kind of sense does that make?" Sanchez says, looking up to the heavens, "I mean, c'mon."
At home in a spare bedroom, Brenda stares at info from the case of Philip Stroh, the rapist defense attorney who got away.
She notes how quiet it is without Kitty, then he subtly says it could be noisy again. Why, this bedroom would hold a kid.
Brenda talks about Reggie's mom and the randomness of death, asking how she can consider having a kid knowing that happens. Fritz tells her the same way ER docs do, or undertakers. They took the same risk getting married, knowing what could happen to the other. He tells her she's so good at imagining the worst, just once she should try imagining something better.
In the interrogation room, Brenda and Sanchez sit with a kid named Tommy Martinez, who called 911 about the gas station shooting. They listen to the call. Brenda thanks him for making the call and asks what else he saw. He tells her he doesn't want trouble, but that he saw a guy in a Cadillac fire a gun. He doesn't want to say anything about the gangsters, two 19th St. Destroyers that he recognized. Brenda repackages the "imagine something better" speech Fritz just gave her, telling him they're trying to make it safer, and he can help.
He tells her he got the license plate. He says the cops just drove through last night. Brenda's surprised, but he says that's what the cops always do.
They bring in Kelvin Blake, the car's driver. He has a 20 year old rap sheet, but Flynn says he seems OK. He voluntarily turned in his gun and it matches the bullet that killed Reggie. Brenda says that doesn't prove he fired it. Commander Taylor reports that Robbery Division says there's been a string of high end car robberies in the area.
Sanchez comes in, announcing that he got Tommy to ID the gang members, by (falsely) promising him he wouldn't have to testify.
In her office, Brenda talks to Kelvin, who says he was protecting himself. He doesn't know he killed someone. He says he was at the register when he saw two boys coming from across the street. He got back in his car and they blocked him. He says he pulled the gun on them and they laughed, so he fired in the air to show he was serious.
Brenda asks him to think very carefully about his answer to what he was thinking at the time. He says he was afraid. She shows him the photo arrays. He picks them both out.
Then Brenda asks him if he ever wondered where the rounds were going to end up. He gets very concerned, sincerely. He bursts into tears when she tells him what happened. Through his sobs, he asks if Reggie had a family as he puts his head in his hands.
Flynn brings the suspects in. Tao shows off Buzz's fancy new equipment, with which they can watch the interview rooms wirelessly from the main room.
Gabriel gives Brenda the suspects' rap sheets and says they've been ID'd for three other carjackings in the area. They're in the viewing room. They greet her by calling her a "bitch." The second time, Sanchez slams one against a file cabinet.
They ask if they recognize Kelvin on the monitor. One says they were just complimenting the car while the other glares at him for talking. She tells them Kelvin shot Reggie, and that she just wants to know what happened Friday night. The only thing she cares about is murder. Sanchez says they want their help, and how often does that happen?
They say Kelvin shot at them before they even got in the car. Brenda asks them to write down what they said. They clarify that they only tried to steal the man's car, and Brenda says she totally understands. They start writing.
Watching on the monitor, Provenza wonders why Brenda doesn't look happy. They think it's because she's wondering how she's going to explain things to Reggie's mom.
After Dumb and Dumber stop writing, Brenda says she should probably explain transferred intent to them, which says if you're involved in a robbery, say, trying to steal a car, and if someone dies, it's murder. They're completely befuddled as they're handcuffed and led away.
At the community center, Brenda talks with Father Jack. She talks about the randomness of Reggie's death, but he doesn't believe in random. Brenda says there was no motive in Reggie's death and where there's no motive, there's no meaning. Father Jack says it's up to them to give his death meaning. She turns and sees people working on repainting the center's graffiti covered walls. He says it brought the community together, including you and me. One by one, the team removes their jackets and gets to work painting.
Lt. Flynn says painting won't change anything, it'll just be covered in graffiti next week. "Well, Brenda says, looking at the church, "until then...." She picks up a roller.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content