Criminal Minds s02e17 Episode Script

Distress

Nobody move! Let's go Hey! I can't get down! Get back in! Yo get back in.
Damn it.
Come on out of there, punk! I'm warning you! Aah! Aah! Ohh! Ah! Ah! Ohh! This is houston's fifth ward.
It accounts for a large percent of the city's growing homicide rate, Due to gang violence And a bustling narcotics trade.
Although in the last 48 hours, There have been 3 distinctive murders in the ward.
Distinctive? All killed on the street with their necks snapped.
There appears to be no other injury, And there's no apparent connection between the victims Or motive.
The ward's detectives are inundated with homicides.
Gang violence is a big problem.
Shootings, Armed robberies, it's an everyday occurrence, But this type of street attack Is new to them.
Could it be gang related, Maybe some new type of initiation rite? The gangs in the ward use guns.
In fact, no known gangs exhibit this type of m.
O.
What about dope? These guys come up with pretty freaky ways Of killing the competition to get their message out.
Yeah, but there just doesn't seem to be any connection Between the victims and the drug world.
Homeless man, A construction worker Security guard.
Just 3 dead men and no witnesses.
We're looking for a homicidal serial criminal In a neighborhood populated by criminals.
The challenge will be separating him from the rest.
We have no evidence, no apparent interaction between the unsub And the victims pre - Or postmortem, And an indistinguishable M.
O.
Should be simple.
"our life is made by the death of others.
" Leonardo Da Vinci.
We got a construction worker Outsider in the community.
We got a security guard That's an authority figure.
And then we got a homeless man.
That's a powerless victim that no one would notice missing.
So who's he targeting? Let's see if any of the victims frequented the same stores or sites.
He used blitz attacks, Which means he most likely lacks the interpersonal skills.
He needed to coerce his victims into coming close.
And he also used the element of surprise, Which means he may have stalked his victims prior to killing them.
Well, if that's the case, i want to go to the last crime scene To see where he may have been hiding.
I want to see the neighborhood for myself.
Good.
I'll go with you.
The rest of us will go to the precinct and set up shop.
I'll map out the area and see if i can find any places The victims would have visited in the neighborhood.
Good.
Maybe we can find a connection between them.
I'll help you with that.
I can handle it.
I wasn't suggesting that you couldn't.
You know what "i'll help you with it" means? Reid.
Prentiss will help you with the geographical profiling And victimology.
Fine.
Remember, this is a high - Crime area.
Be vigilant.
Nobody goes anywhere alone.
FBI, right? Agents Morgan, Gideon.
Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you.
We really do appreciate your help.
Oh, we're glad to assist.
The vic, the security guard, Was patrolling construction sites in the neighborhood.
Some equipment was vandalized.
You think the murder's related? The damage was kind of unspecific, More like something kids would do.
The guard had a pistol, which is now missing.
This whole area, it's empty? Except for a liquor store around that corner And the locksmith on this end.
And what about this building right here? Oh, empty for years.
Where's he going? Find out when he comes back.
Detective Fuller! Let me see what this here's about.
Her son was at the community center last night.
I've lived in this neighborhood all my life.
So has my son.
I didn't raise him to be a vandal.
Yes, ma'am, i'm sure you didn't.
Kelvin! Well, i was We was up here last night.
We messed up some of the equipment over there.
I found some spray paint on his clothes, And i knew he was up to trouble with his no - Good friends.
He will not be vandalizing his own neighborhood again.
Will you, son? No, ma'am.
I was gonna drive him to the police station, But i saw you already here.
How much damage was done? Actually, we're here because there was a murder last night.
Murder? What murder? Security guard.
Oh, my god.
No.
No.
He chased us, But i lost him.
I swear, i ain't touch him.
Don't say another word, Kelvin.
Kelvin I only have one question for you and then you can go.
Did the security guard fire his weapon at you? No.
He, like, shot into the air to scare us.
And that's why we ran.
Thanks.
You can go.
We can go? Yes, ma'am.
You just sent away the last person to see our victim alive.
A boy that frightened of his mother and that slight Doesn't have the skill, courage, or size To kill the way this unsub does.
Hey, guys.
Over here.
Someone was living here.
There, you got a dirty blanket, Hamburger wrappers, and soda cans.
Those kids weren't the only ones here last night.
What's that? One of the detectives' wives made us cookies.
Wow.
Homemade cookies? Yeah, I guess that's what they mean by southern hospitality.
What are you saying? Southern hospitality! I need to concentrate How can anybody hear with all this work going on? Well, you're gonna have to get used to it.
Construction crews are working around the clock.
Saw it on the way in.
City's trying to return to its splendor, And that means that houston's poorest Are being kicked out of their homes.
Unsub might be homeless.
Appears to have been living in a building Next to where the security guard was attacked.
These are the locations of the last 3 murders, all near abandoned buildings.
I noticed the neighborhood.
Maybe he was recently displaced.
Could be a motive.
Construction worker, security guard at a construction site.
Payback? What about the homeless man? We get a lot of beefs down there among the homeless.
That one could have just been a fight about space or food.
Let's get a list of residents Who've been kicked out of their homes by the gentrification.
You and Reid check the shelters? Yeah, we're on it.
Unless you ok with that, Reid? I'm fine with that.
We should check to see if there are any mental hospitals in the area, Maybe someone who was recently released into the streets.
Mm - Hmm.
Got it.
Morgan, can you cover the police records for the last week? If it's someone who's been recently made homeless, He might have stolen food, comfort items, blankets, Toiletries We might be able to track a pattern of theft.
Thanks.
Done.
Are you lonely in the lone star state? Are you wearing chaps? Only in your dreams, Garcia.
Oh, not necessarily.
I have photoshop.
Hey, hey, behave.
Focus your little twisted mind for me, ok? I need police records from the fifth ward Small thefts and burglaries.
Can you do that? Aren't you at that very station right now.
Yeah, but it's a small precinct And these guys are stretched.
Trust me.
Got it.
Oh, Garcia.
See if you can find before and after pictures of demolitions in the area.
Maybe we can nail down a building where the unsub may have worked or lived in.
How far back? A week.
And Garcia I better not ever find any photoshop pictures of me Oh, trust me, my vision.
You will never find them.
Get out! Victim's name is Travis Overby.
That's his buddy over there.
He was working a jackhammer on a new trunkline.
He said one second travis was going down the sewer, The next second he was down at the bottom dead.
From one second to the next.
Someone has to go down.
Aw, see, this ain't cool.
I'm putting in for hazard pay.
Good luck with that.
It's pretty clean for a sewer! The trash is pretty much cleared away.
Yeah, i got a dirty blanket Something else rolled up in the corner.
It's obvious he made himself a place to sleep, but He cleared it all away.
It looks a lot like the last place he was in.
Huh.
A new temporary home.
Guys, it looks like the jackhammer Must have knocked some of the ceiling loose.
It fell down all around him.
I'd be pretty scared, too.
It's about survival.
Carved out a place of his own, Saw a threat, he attacked.
That's got to be why the victims were so random.
He didn't have a relationship with them.
They just happened to be intruding on his home.
We'll need to see the other crime scenes.
Sure! Let's go! You all right? Yeah.
You owe me.
You all are looking for someone in charge? I'm angie, one of the administrators.
Hi.
I'm Agent Prentiss.
This is Agent Reid.
We're with the fbi.
Really? Really.
It looks like you have your hands full.
With the demolitions in the projects and the abandoned buildings, There's no place else for people to sleep.
Well, thank god there are people like you who take the time Do you have a list of everyone who comes through here? Angie: uh, we have a sign - In sheet, But we don't force anyone to sign if they don't want to.
Some who do don't even use their real names.
Elvis eats here a lot.
We would appreciate any lists you have.
Why? Have you noticed anyone who acts Unusually aggressive towards the other residents? What's this about? A series of murders in the area.
The perpetrator may be a homeless man.
Maybe someone who stays here.
He may even be in this room as we speak.
My god, Reid.
Have you noticed anyone who acts paranoid or displays Explosive, unprovoked bursts of violence, More than just pushing and shoving? I mean, someone who really tries to harm others.
There are territorial fights over food and places to sleep.
The nurse treats people for minor injuries all the time, But no one's seriously hurt.
If anyone does come to mind, give us a call.
Thank you.
A murderer? I'm sorry.
Uh- Um This investigation is still No one's actually been hurt in a shelter.
We're just We're acting with an abundance of caution.
So, please, let the police know If anything unusual occurs.
Thanks.
There's a high presence of mental disorders with the homeless.
Yeah.
What the hell was that in there? What? "He may even be in this room as we speak"? We have nothing to support that.
We're investigating a serial homicide.
Should i have pretended there's no danger? We just left that woman potentially afraid Of every man who walks into this shelter.
Again, until we find this unsub, how is that a bad thing? What is the matter with you? What do you mean, what's the matter with me? I have never seen you act like this.
Oh, really? Oh, in the months that you know me, You've never seen me act this way? Hey, no offense, Emily, but You don't really know what you're talking about, do you? Good.
Thanks.
Just got back from the local homeless shelter.
The administrator hasn't noticed anyone new displaying aggressive behavior.
He's not in a homeless shelter.
I just talked to Gideon and Morgan.
They think that he's killing To protect some makeshift shelter of his own.
So are we ready for a profile yet? We're missing something.
How did this homeless man learn to kill so efficiently? You know what we need? We need to get lucky.
We need him to make a mistake.
Hey.
Come on, man, get out of there! I see you right there! laqui tengo mi tienda! There's a shelter a couple of blocks from here.
Vayase Papa! Please help my daddy! I need help! I was attacked! Can i get some help here, please? Please Call my house to come get my daughter.
Please.
Maria Is my papa gonna be ok? Yes.
Maria, could you answer a few questions for us? It would really help us find the bad guy.
Did he say anything to your papa? No.
What were you and your papa doing before the bad guy came? Papa took out the garbage.
And then he jumped out And he hit my papa.
I was screaming at him.
Don't hurt my papa! I thought he was gonna hit me, too.
But then he stopped And he looked at me funny.
What do you mean by "funny"? He looked Sad.
He did say something.
Not to my papa.
To me.
What was it? He said Are you ok? Why are you crying? And then we ran.
Go away! Go away! Maria What you did was very brave.
Can you help us with one more thing? Can you tell us what the man looked like? He was white.
And tall.
And dirty.
And he had a ring like yours.
Like that? I remember his ring.
Thank you.
labuela! Gracias.
He asked if she was ok and why was she crying.
He wasn't aware of what he was doing to her.
Garcia's on line one.
Go ahead, Penelope.
All right, cowgirls and boys.
Hey.
I've got the comparison satellite images Of the before- And- After pictures, and i found something.
Check it.
Do you see it yet? Yeah.
Yeah, an s.
O.
S.
Yeah, it's made of debris and other rocky bits of gobbledygook.
This is the building where the security guard got killed.
He's asking for help.
Wait, guys.
Listen outside.
Chaos.
S.
O.
S.
He's a war veteran.
He thinks he's in a war zone.
He left a distress signal on the roof of one of the buildings.
The quick strikes are consistent with trained military He must have served in a place That looked or sounded like this ward.
Well, we were right about him being homeless, in a sense.
Wherever he is, in his mental state, he's certainly not at home.
He may not even be aware he's killing.
Now, how's that? When soldiers suffered from anxiety, depression, And flashbacks in world war i, it was called shell shock.
In world war ii, battle fatigue.
Now we refer to it as ptsd, Post - Traumatic stress disorder, war related.
A side effect of which is slipping into dissociative states.
The mind divorces itself from reality So it can cope with the trauma.
He's reliving a memory.
He's trapped in his head in some war zone.
Hiding and defending himself from the enemy.
Ok, so how do we find a man who's trapped inside his head? He's got a wedding ring.
Someone's missing him.
Good.
I'm with detective Fuller.
Morgan has last crime scene to check.
J.
J.
, check missing persons reports, See if anyone matches the description.
It would have been filed recently, The last 2 or 3 days.
Ok.
Thanks.
Hey.
You shouldn't be out here.
It isn't safe.
It isn't safe.
Dana Woodridge and Max Weston Her husband and his best friend.
Roy Woodridge has been missing since tuesday.
He was on his way home from work.
He called before he left the office And said we needed to talk when he got home.
He sounded upset.
That was the last I heard from him.
What was he upset about? He didn't say.
Dana called me that night When Roy didn't show up.
So The next morning we filed a missing persons report.
Mrs.
Woodridge, where does your husband work? He's a consultant at a security firm downtown.
Did your husband ever serve in combat? Excuse me? Is he a war veteran? Yeah.
Uh We both are.
We were in special ops.
Bravo company, 3rd battalion.
But Roy He retired shortly after things went bad in Mogadishu.
That was back in 1993.
Let me ask you this Does he display any sort of, uh Behavioral tics Certain everyday things, They make him jumpy or startled? Why? Does he? Is this going to help find him? Mrs.
Woodridge, please.
We need to know everything we can about your husband.
We all had a hard time over there, You know you bring some things home with you.
Like what? He has a hard time with loud noises.
He can't be in crowds.
He has nightmares And wakes up in cold sweats.
The smells are the worst.
He If he smells something burning, Like a barbecue or gas or fire He gets sick.
It really only got bad about a year ago.
What happened to him in Somalia? Nothing.
Combat happened.
What does that mean? I'm gonna get a drink of water.
You knew your friend was suffering from symptoms of ptsd? He was a changed man, wasn't he? He was anxious, Paranoid, distant.
He was far away in his head.
I tried to get him into a vet center to talk to somebody, But he said he was all right.
What happened in Somalia? What's he reliving? You can't tell Dana.
Roy never wanted her to know.
Thank you.
Could somebody please tell me what's going on? There have been some people hurt recently, And we think that there may be someone lost on the streets.
Someone who thinks that he's still at war.
But Roy would never hurt innocent people.
Well, why would he even be in this neighborhood? Hey, Garcia.
We have Mrs.
Woodridge here with us.
Oh, uh, well, I found an'02 white ford f150 pickup truck.
Oh, my god.
That's his truck.
It was impounded.
Uh, it had a flat tire and was picked up on Lyon street About a quarter of a mile from highway 59.
He takes the east tex freeway to work every day.
Mrs.
Woodridge, I'm very sorry But this is definitely your husband.
What? Roy and I We were escorting a u.
N.
Aid caravan to a refugee camp.
Our convoy was ambushed.
The front received heavy fire, But we were in the rear, So we managed to escape.
We hid for 2 days in and out of abandoned buildings that Insurgents were looking for us.
One night I was sleeping, Roy kept watch.
When I woke up, there was an ak - 47 pointed right at me.
A child.
Yeah.
They were all babies back in Mogadishu, But this one He couldn't have been more than 11 or 12.
Then what happened? We finally found a radio Fixed it, called for an extraction.
Did you put out an S.
O.
S.
? Yeah, we We used rocks to put an s.
O.
S.
In the dirt So the blackhawks could locate us.
How did you know that? Look, If this is roy, you're not gonna find him.
He's trained and skilled at survival.
He knows how to hide.
We think he has a gun.
Well, he doesn't miss.
We need to put a s.
W.
A.
T.
Team together, Plan a grid search and go building to building.
He's reliving the war, isn't he? A specific incident in which he killed a child.
Guys, the s.
W.
A.
T.
Team's gonna have guns, right? What happens if he tries to fight them? Can I get you something, Mrs.
Woodridge? Those men are going after Roy? Do they need so many guns? He's just one man.
It It's protocol, ma'am.
How badly were they hurt? Y'all said that people were hurt.
Some people were murdered.
Murdered? Mrs.
Woodridge He never really came home.
I lost him 14 years ago.
It's been like living with a ghost.
Help him.
Please, help him.
We'll do everything we can.
Ok? Reid, what are you working on? At 5 p.
M.
For 10 minutes.
Cars were stalled and Roy must have tried to exit on the surface streets.
Sadly, he ended up in an unfamiliar area with a flat tire.
He was changing that tire when an 8 - Story building On market imploded 5 blocks away.
He heard the explosion and reacted Like a mortar bomb had landed nearby.
This explosion is what triggered his dissociation.
And since then, he's been stuck in that state.
Running when he needed to, sleeping when he could, Camouflaging himself into his surroundings, And hiding from his perceived enemies.
He's relieving the worst moment of his life.
He's gotta be terrified.
Yeah.
Yeah, what do you have? Why isn't Derek answering his phone? He's probably stuck underground somewhere.
Underground? I'll explain later.
Oh.
Ok.
So, I finally got through All those recent police reports he asked me to check, Which, by the way, it was no hopscotch through the park, Because that precinct you're at Is kind of tragically behind on their paperwork.
Yeah, they're undermanned.
Oh, Jeez, really? I can't imagine what that feels like.
Oh, no, wait.
Yes, I can, 'cause Garcia, do you have anything for me? Well, he told me to look for anything unusual, And it's all usual.
Minor break - Ins, apartment burglaries, Televisions, stereos, car thefts, and smash and grabs.
Common stuff in the world of burgling.
Nothing a guy lost in the streets Might use for survival? No, nothing reported.
It like I said, it's all petty.
There's a Some vandalism at construction sites.
Communications radio missing from one of them.
Wait Did you say radio? Yeah.
Construction Foreman reported that one of their Trucks had been broken into and a hand - Held radio was stolen.
Yesterday.
12 hours ago.
Is that what you're looking for? Reid? This is Roy Woodridge, Brown hair, former army ranger.
It's imperative you don't try to apprehend him alone.
He won't understand what's happening.
He may try to defend himself.
He's armed, and he's an excellent marksman.
He may have stolen a radio, A walkie - Talkie.
We were right.
He had a nest of sorts right near every murder scene.
There was a burglary of a two - Way radio From a construction site recently.
That could be Roy.
We only used uhf back then.
He's looking for help.
And he'll keep trying to contact operations command.
Detective, can we get a dozen uhf radios set up in this room, And each of them tuned to each of the preset channel frequencies? Right away.
Wait a minute.
When he calls, we need to be very careful With the communication, Because we set up specific responses to contact op com So we could avoid hostile interception And to establish "no danger" signals.
And we had specific names to identify our squad to the operator.
Do you remember the language you set up? I couldn't forget it.
Roy and I wrote it.
The callout was,"this is John Doe looking for mark rippen.
" Rippen was our hero at the time Number 11, quarterback for the redskins in 1993.
Now we know where he is in his head.
He calls in, we'll be on the other end when he does.
What if he doesn't call? What if he just kills someone else? Well, we'll deal with that if it happens.
Kind of easy for you to say.
This guy may be messed up, but that doesn't change the fact That he has killed 4 innocent people.
Now, why don't we just do the grid search? If you set up a grid search And he confronts one of your men, You'll be planning a funeral.
I can guarantee you we're right about his profile.
This man wants to get rescued.
All i'm asking is that you just give us a chance to bring him in.
It's channel 11.
Are you ready Garcia? I've got nat recon satellites all over the ward.
Stand by.
This is John Doe looking for mark rippen.
Can you help us? You know how to do this better than we do.
Roger that.
This is number 11, all clear.
Maxey, boy, am I happy to hear from you.
I'm taking heavy fire.
Request immediate extraction.
What are your coordinates? Unknown.
I lost my land navigational aids.
I went high, but i don't recognize anything.
I don't have a fix on my grid coordinates.
Any other way for him to signal his location? Did you put up any flags? Yeah, you bet your ass I did.
I'm holding cover here.
Roger that.
Hold your position.
He triangulated.
We need to look for 3 large, colored flags, Maybe on rooftops.
They'll be identical in size and shape.
Did you get that, Garcia? Yeah, I got it.
Number 11, do you still read me? Garcia.
I'm working as fast as I can.
I can still read you loud and clear.
Stay put.
I found one.
I found one.
I got them.
I see Housing projects and a courtyard.
We need street names, Garcia.
Farmer and Capron! Farmer and Capron! I know where that is.
There's some abandoned buildings right there.
I'll have construction sites to halt work and secure the streets.
He's gonna expect men in fatigues and a chopper as cover.
I can take care of the choppers.
We're in black suvs.
Tell him we're security executives.
You're coming with us.
We need to do this fast.
Tell him to stay there, we're coming to him.
Roy, we're coming to you, buddy.
Let's go! Thank you, god.
Sergeant Woodridge? Got him.
Where's Max? Roy.
It's all right.
It's time to come in.
He's got a weapon! No! No! Stop! Stop Look, it's all right.
It's all right.
No! It's not safe! It's a boy, sergeant, it's just a boy.
Roy! It wasn't safe.
I know.
Is the boy all right? Yes.
Yes, sergeant.
The boy's all right.
That's good.
Folks.
Uh Thank you so much for coming here.
No one ever makes this place a priority.
We're grateful to you.
I wish it had ended differently.
Yeah.
Me, too.
Hey, has anyone seen Gideon? Agent Gideon left some time ago.
Said he meet you all at the airport.
Did he say where he went to? I think I know where he is.
Hey.
It's quiet.
Construction's taking the rest of the day off to honor the victims.
You know, the first reported war was Probably earlier wars, but Writing hadn't been invented yet.
Almost 5, 000 years of killing each other.
One thing human beings have been consistently good at.
We did everything we could for him, you know.
Yeah.
Sometimes knowing that just isn't good enough.
I know.
"if there must be trouble, "Let it be in my day, That my child may have peace.
" Thomas Paine.

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