Law & Order (1990) s23e06 Episode Script
On the Ledge
1
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate yet
equally important groups,
the police who investigate crime
and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
No, no. Party was great.
Epic, really.
I just had to be up early for work.
I'll call you back.
Hey, bro.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hey.
What are you doing?
Why don't you come back from over there?
Let's let's talk for a minute, huh?
Leave me alone.
I can't walk away if I
think somebody needs help.
So why don't you humor me, huh?
What's your name?
♪
Bill.
Bill Johnson.
OK, Bill.
I'm not worth it.
A freaking failure, that's what I am.
- No.
- Don't waste your time.
I got all the time in the world, Bill.
We both do.
Now, why do you think
you're a failure, huh?
♪
Look, leave me alone.
♪
Somebody make you that bracelet?
You got kids?
I have a son.
He's all I got.
I'm all he's got.
Crap luck for him.
No, no, no, no. Hey, don't say that.
He needs you to be there for him.
Trust me, I know.
I was raised by a single dad.
That man was my hero.
Even if he didn't know it.
He used to talk about tough times.
Times I'd have to push through.
We all have days like this, Bill.
So now what I'm gonna ask you to do
is give me your hand,
and you and I can get
through this one together.
For your son.
♪
Please.
♪
OK.
There you go. Come on.
All right, OK.
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- All right. There we go.
All right.
Good man.
Oh.
♪
That's good. All right.
I'm gonna call somebody to
get you some help, all right?
No.
I have to get home.
I just want to make sure you're OK.
Please.
I'm OK.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
I wasn't gonna jump. I'm just
having a really
rough time.
OK, Listen,
if you're ever
having a rough time like that again,
you give me a call instead of that.
You're a cop?
I am.
If you need help, I can make some calls.
That's what I'm here for.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Thanks.
I appreciate you.
♪
Get home safe.
Yeah.
♪
Hey, partner.
Hey.
Got a little extra
beauty rest this morning?
I wish.
I, um,
ran into a jumper on the way here.
You mean like a jumper jumper?
Like a jumper jumper.
Whoa.
How did that go? You talk him down?
Yeah.
This guy was really struggling.
I wasn't sure which way
it was gonna play out.
How'd you do it?
Just tried to connect.
How you doing? You OK?
I need you both to head over
to Mercy General right away.
- Why, what's up?
- Active shooter.
- At the hospital?
- Emergency room.
Mobile command center is on its way.
I'll see you over there.
Out of the frying pan, into the inferno.
Fire.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Either way, this day just got worse.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What do we got?
Witnesses say the shooter fled on foot.
Sergeant ordered a
level one mobilization.
All available units are out
covering a 10-block radius.
- How many victims?
- One dead.
Over here, a doctor,
Bryan Jeffers, age 45.
Ooh.
Took one to the chest, huh?
And one to the back.
Somebody wanted him dead.
- Any other casualties?
- Nurse.
She's in surgery. Shot in the gut.
Hasn't given a statement yet.
How many shots in total?
We found four casings, all from a .380.
Any video?
Hospital security said they
can't release the footage
without the OK from
their legal department.
Privacy laws or something.
Well, mobile command's pulling
footage from the street cams.
Dixon can check in with them.
Yeah.
Anybody get a look at the shooter?
He was wearing a mask and hoodie.
Best witness is the admitting nurse.
Thank you.
The guy just walked right in,
went right past me.
I tried to stop him until
until I saw he had the gun.
What did he look like?
Maybe 5'8 ", 5'9",
Black, wearing a dark hoodie
and a surgical mask.
Did it seem to you like
he was targeting anyone?
I heard him yelling at Dr. Jeffers.
Did it seemed like he knew Jeffers?
Like, he he actually used his name?
It sounded personal.
Like like he had some
kind of beef with him.
- Do you remember what he said?
- No.
I-I just got on the floor.
I was scared. We all were.
- Of course.
- What else was
- Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, ma'am.
- Ma'am, no. stop.
- Let me through!
- Hey, Doctor.
This is a restricted area. Doctor!
Bryan!
[CRYING]
That's Dr. Jeffers' wife.
Bryan!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Keep the streets blocked
off and divert all patients.
No one in or out of the area.
As far as we know, this
shooter is still armed.
We think the shooter may have
been targeting your husband.
Do you have any idea
who might have done this?
Patient or colleague maybe?
Last night,
Bryan said he had a run-in
with a new security guard.
Security guard? What kind of run-in?
Caught the guy stealing pills.
Had him fired on the spot.
Did he threaten your husband?
Bryan said he swore
at him, threw things.
They had to call the
police to get him out.
- Do you know this man's name?
- No.
But you can ask the security office.
Anything from the traffic cams?
Not yet.
But the hospital sent over
info on that security guard
who had the run-in
with Jeffers yesterday.
His name is Terrence Lamont.
Date of birth, November 16, 1976.
He's 5'10".
Does he have a rap sheet?
No convictions.
Does have a carry permit.
- A .380?
- Yeah.
And it looks like
hospital security filed
a supplemental report this morning,
one hour before shots were fired.
Lamont was trying to get
back into the hospital.
All right, text his
address to Riley and Shaw.
I'm gonna call and try
and get a search warrant.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Terrence Lamont, open up.
NYPD.
- Terrence Lamont?
- Yeah. What the hell?
- Arrest warrant. Come here.
- What?
Turn around.
- You got any weapons on you?
- Stay up there.
Where's your gun?
The .380, where is it?
- I want a lawyer.
- Good.
You can call him from the precinct.
Let's go.
My client had nothing
to do with that shooting.
Yeah, you were pretty pissed at Dr.
Jeffers about calling the police.
Yeah, I was.
Those doctors think they walk on water.
But I didn't kill anyone.
We know you have a .380
registered in your name.
We checked your apartment,
we didn't find it.
Where's the gun?
Stolen. Two months ago.
My client filed a
report with Rochester PD.
Their records will confirm.
All right, we'll check up on that.
I was hoping we might
work something out here.
My client has some information to trade.
We're all ears. What do you know?
- First
- I was talking to him.
Let's discuss dismissing the stolen drug
and assault charges from the hospital
If you know something
about the shooting,
you tell us right now.
[TENSE MUSIC]
When I was leaving the
hospital, on the way home,
waiting at the bus stop,
I saw a man running.
Threw a gun in his backpack.
What'd this guy look like?
Does that mean we got a deal?
If his info checks out,
then we will call the DA's office.
Come on, brother, help yourself.
♪
5'9",
Black,
in a hoodie wearing
a paper surgical mask.
When he put the gun away,
he took the mask off,
threw it in a grate.
Exact location.
♪
So we got a call from Rochester PD.
Lamont's stolen gun story checks out.
All right, what about
the guy with the backpack?
Did you find the mask that he ditched?
Unis found it exactly where
Lamont said it was gonna be.
All right, we'll have it tested for DNA.
Where are we at with the
hospital video footage?
Any progress?
No, the lawyers are still
refusing to give it up.
Call over to the DA's office.
- Let's get Maroun on this.
- OK.
There is a killer on the loose,
and the hospital security
video can help police
identify and apprehend him.
Mercy employees were
injured in the shooting.
The hospital wants to
help law enforcement.
Great. Then give us the video.
We can't. HIPAA laws don't allow it.
There are exceptions to the law.
Not when it comes to videotape
that will expose the identities
of dozens of patients.
The hospital can
redact individual faces.
Chanko versus American
Broadcasting Companies.
The Appeals Court
opinion was very clear,
the release of video with blurred faces
and altered voices still violates HIPAA.
Unfortunately, Ms.
Maroun, I have no choice
but to deny your request
for access to the video.
What about surveillance footage
from outside the hospital?
There is no reasonable
expectation of privacy there.
Send Maroun a fruit basket.
Why, what do you got?
Two minutes after shots were fired,
a Black man in a
hoodie and surgical mask
bolts out of the yard and heads north.
It picked him up again here.
- Is that a gun?
- Looks like it.
And check it out, there's some
kind of logo on his backpack.
St. Francis.
It's a boys school up on 136th Street.
My kids have some friends that go there.
136, that's a few blocks
from Mercy General.
Is our shooter a kid?
We have ten students named Daniel.
Any of them absent today
or missing from class?
All checked in on time.
Wait, wait.
No. One boy is out.
We'll need his last name.
Cartwright. Daniel
Cartwright, 11th grader.
11th grade. So he's what, 17?
16. He's a good student.
Pretty unusual for him to miss a day.
Can we see a picture of this kid?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
On the right. 7.
[KNOCKING]
NYPD, open up.
Detectives, open up!
What is going oh, my God!
We have a warrant to
search the premises.
I don't I don't understand.
What is happening?
Your son Daniel, is he here?
My
Daniel is my nephew.
He's here. What is this about?
Daniel, where are your parents?
My mom, she
His his mother,
my sister-in-law Nora,
she died yesterday.
What happened?
She was pregnant.
And she had just entered
her third trimester.
A few days ago, she started
experiencing sharp pains.
My brother took her to the hospital.
Was she treated at Mercy General?
Yes. She got home. Her pains got worse.
Yesterday, she went into early labor.
She died on the way to the hospital.
Her and the baby.
Daniel, I can see how that
would make you very upset.
Is that why you went to
the hospital this morning?
The hospital? I didn't go there.
No, he's been here with me all morning.
We found this in the closet.
It's empty.
That's for a .380.
Daniel, we need your honesty right now.
Where's the gun?
It belongs to my dad.
That's your dad's gun?
Were you aware that he
had a firearm in the house?
No.
Do you happen to know if your
dad had a permit for that gun?
Daniel.
Is this your father?
What's his name?
Kenneth.
Where is he right now?
He called me early.
He wanted me to be here with Daniel.
Asked to borrow my car.
I need the plates right now.
We need an APB on a beige Chevy.
License 239 Alpha Charlie Delta Tango.
- You all right?
- Not really.
Guy in the photo, Kenneth Cartwright,
that's the jumper from this morning.
He must have given me a fake name.
That's the guy?
Yeah.
I talked him out of killing himself
just so he can waltz into
Mercy and shoot up the damn ER.
♪
All right, thank you.
Mercy General just confirmed
Dr. Jeffers was the one who did
the evaluation on Cartwright's wife.
Hey, this is not on you, man, all right?
You did what you thought
was right in the moment.
If I had just called for
a bus when I first saw him,
insisted that he be seen by a doctor,
Jeffers' wife would not be
casket shopping right now.
Hey, do not do that to yourself.
That's hindsight. Let it go.
[PHONE RINGING]
Yeah, Lieu, you get a hit on the plate?
Not yet, but the second victim,
the ER nurse who was shot, she's awake.
- She talking?
- Better than that.
She already picked out
Cartwright's photo from a six pack.
- Great.
- Yeah.
But she keeps saying she's worried
that he's gonna kill somebody else.
- What do you mean?
- I don't know.
She's in the ICU.
She's on a lot of painkillers.
She just keeps saying, he's
gonna shoot somebody else.
So I need you to get over
there as soon as you can
and find out what the
hell she's talking about.
Yeah, copy that.
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry. I'm still feeling so foggy.
I understand.
But this is important, OK?
Why do you think he's gonna kill again?
Just tell us what you remember.
I was talking to Dr. Jeffers,
about to check in on a patient,
when Nora Cartwright's husband came in.
What did he do?
He pointed the gun at Dr. Jeffers.
And he just started shooting.
Dr. Jeffers got shot in
the back, fell to the floor,
and
the man just shot him
again in the chest.
How did you get shot?
I think a bullet
ricocheted off something
and hit me in the stomach.
And did Mr. Cartwright say anything
after he shot Jeffers?
He said, "You killed my wife."
And then he yelled out loud,
"Where's the other doctor?"
Wait, what doctor?
Who else was responsible
for Nora Cartwright's care?
Dr. Jeffers did the
eval with Dr. Edison.
Mark Edison.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SIRENS WAILING]
Oh, wait, text from Yee.
She got a hit on the plate.
His car's about two blocks from
Edison's house on 136th Street.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
[ENGINE REVVING]
Slow down, buddy.
Stop sign! Whoa.
Jalen!
[TIRES SCREECHING]
♪
12 o'clock, there he is.
♪
I got him.
♪
We got a 10-13. Suspect
armed. Riverside 138.
♪
2-7 Squad, suspect is
heading to the westbound
service road near 135 Street.
I'm in pursuit.
♪
[SIRENS BLARE]
Hey, you put that down!
Kenneth, put the gun down!
Do not give them a reason.
No. Hey, hey, hey, hey.
There's only one good choice here.
- Oh, my God.
- Think about your son.
You.
Right now, he's at
home with your sister,
Deborah, safe and sound.
Do not make him an orphan, you hear me?
He needs you.
Now, you take that gun and you toss it.
Toss the gun.
[GROANS]
You toss it.
Good man.
Now put your hands behind your head.
Hands behind your head.
Turn around.
Walk to me slowly.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Didn't have to be this way, Kenneth.
You know what they did
to my wife, my baby.
An eye for an eye.
What'd you say?
An eye for an eye.
They killed Nora, so I killed them.
You have the right to remain silent
I killed them. I killed them.
You have the right to remain silent.
♪
You good?
♪
Calling docket ending in 6709,
People versus Kenneth Cartwright.
How do you plead, sir?
My client pleads not guilty, Your Honor.
Question of bail?
The defendant walked into
a hospital emergency room
and opened fire.
Shot and killed a dedicated
and renowned physician
and seriously injured a nurse.
We have a strong case,
including an eyewitness and DNA
from the mask he was wearing.
We seek remand.
Mr. Dressler?
My client's an electrician
with no prior record.
And the People's case isn't as strong
as they would have you believe.
When Detective Shaw
arrested the defendant,
he was holding the murder weapon.
He also confessed to Detective Shaw.
The defendant is remanded.
[GAVEL BANGS] Next case.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Dr. Jeffers.
Tell us about your husband.
He was a good man.
A loving husband, devoted dad,
and a hell of a physician.
He worked in the emergency
room at Mercy General?
For 12 years.
It was his dream job.
He thrived there.
Even with all the tragedy and chaos.
He cared deeply for all his patients.
Is this when you last saw
your husband, Dr. Jeffers?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
Yes.
Suffering from two gunshot wounds,
one to the back, one to the chest?
Yes.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Your husband, the dedicated doctor
who cared deeply for his patients,
spent a total of six minutes
evaluating Kenneth
Cartwright's wife, Nora.
He ignored or dismissed
her obvious symptoms
and failed to diagnose her preeclampsia.
Unfortunately, the misdiagnosis
is a common mistake.
More common when the patient is Black.
Objection. Argumentative.
No foundation.
The witness is a medical doctor.
Go ahead.
Did you know that
Black women in New York
are nine times more likely to die
of pregnancy-related
complications than white women?
I
my husband treated all
patients with dignity.
Your husband made the same
misdiagnosis with two other patients.
Both were Black women.
One of them also died.
There's no dignity in that.
I understand, but
he also helped a lot of women.
As a practicing physician,
did you also know
that the systemic
neglect of women of color
in a hospital setting has
become a public health crisis?
That the Black maternal death rate
is more than double that of white women?
Your Honor, relevance?
Counsel, approach.
Mr. Dressler, what are you doing?
Educating the jury about racial
injustice in the health care system.
How is that even remotely relevant?
Mr. Price has a point.
We plan to change our plea.
To what?
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
Insanity?
What's the underlying condition?
Race-based traumatic stress.
Oh.
Do you have an expert
prepared to testify?
- Yes.
- An expert in racial trauma?
I have never heard of this condition
being used in an insanity case.
There's a first time for everything.
[SCOFFS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm granting the defense's request.
You may present an insanity
defense, Mr. Dressler.
- Your Honor.
- Step back, Mr. Price.
♪
Yes, Senator.
OK.
I appreciate that.
Goodbye.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown,
Mr. Acting District Attorney.
As far as I'm concerned,
the governor can't name
Jack's replacement soon enough.
I can't believe he's really gone.
End of an era.
Yeah.
He was
amazing.
Yeah.
I hope you come bearing good news.
I, um,
reviewed the defendant's discovery.
He's got a well-documented history.
Years of race-based trauma and abuse.
What do you mean?
Police reports show that he was
racially profiled five times.
Stopped on the street,
pulled over in his car,
followed around by store
security for no legitimate reason.
He spent a weekend in jail for
suspicion of drug trafficking.
They arrested him in front of his son.
He had to spend five grand for a lawyer,
and the charges were eventually dropped.
- I could go on.
- No need. I get the idea.
And the final straw was the doctor's
mistreatment of his pregnant wife.
I get it.
But?
It doesn't excuse or
justify what Cartwright did.
No, but it sure gives
his actions some context.
And the jury might find it
to be a mitigating factor.
What are you suggesting?
I think we should offer a
plea, diminished capacity.
It was a premeditated murder.
The facts suggest that
That he was suffering, Nolan.
His wife and baby had just died.
I'm not saying we should let him walk.
I'm saying we should
show some compassion
for what the man went through.
We're prepared to offer Man One,
15 years.
No.
I can't do 15 years.
With good behavior, you'll be out in 12.
Would you consider seven?
Ten is the best I can do.
OK.
But only if it's home confinement.
That's not how this works.
You have to serve your
sentence in a prison.
Like I said, I can't.
Hold on a minute, Kenneth.
Let's let's hear him out.
I have a son.
His mother just died.
I need to be around so
I don't lose him too.
Your son can visit you in prison.
Look, I know it's not
the same thing, but
it's a generous offer.
I agree.
It's a good offer.
The only reason we're willing to do this
is because we know
what you went through.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I appreciate it.
But I want my son
to know that I fought for him,
for what's left of our family.
So I'd rather roll the dice
and hope the jury realizes
I'm a good person
who just did a stupid thing
because I was crazy that day.
♪
I guess we'll see you in court.
♪
[BUZZER BLARES]
♪
I feel terrible about what I did.
I wish I could take it back.
Why did you do it?
I wasn't in my right mind.
Please tell the members of the jury
what you mean by that.
I have taken a lot over
the course of my life.
A woman sees me in the elevator,
says she's gonna wait for the next car.
I smile
and tell her to have a nice day.
A taxi driver won't stop to pick me up.
I wait for the next one.
And then there's the
promotions I've lost,
the jobs I didn't get.
But when it came
To my wife
my baby
I couldn't see past it.
They were
it was too much.
What do you mean by that?
The way those doctors treated her
[SOBBING]
♪
Ignored her problems,
her symptoms.
Told her the pain was in her head
like she was stupid.
Like she didn't matter.
The day they died,
my mind was just spinning.
My heart was beating really fast.
I knew I had to do something.
I wanted to kill myself.
But then I went
and did what I did.
Nothing further.
♪
On the morning of the murder,
your son, Daniel, was home?
Yes.
Did you speak with him?
Did you check that he was all right?
I did.
And you had a conversation
with your sister?
You asked her to come
over, sit with your son?
Yes.
'Cause you were going to Mercy General
and you didn't want Daniel to be alone.
That's right.
Right.
You had a plan.
I don't know. I just sort of did things.
Did things?
Like retrieve your gun
from your bedroom closet,
then head down to Mercy General,
looked for Dr. Jeffers,
then started shooting?
Yeah, I guess so.
All those things required
clear and lucid thought,
as did putting on a mask and
a hoodie to disguise yourself.
I don't know.
I just did it.
Then
then you shot Dr. Jeffers
in the back and in the chest.
And then you set out to find Dr. Edison.
But I didn't find him.
I was glad those detectives stopped me.
Yes.
We are all glad about that.
I have nothing further.
Call your next witness, Mr. Dressler.
Race-based trauma stress,
also known as RBTS,
is the fraternal twin of
post-traumatic stress disorder.
What causes it?
Those suffering from the condition
have experienced or seen
those close to them experience
some form of racism.
Discriminatory practices, hate crimes.
What are the symptoms?
Like PTSD, symptoms run the gamut.
Depression, difficulty sleeping,
anxiety, loss of appetite,
headaches, crying spells.
Suicidal ideation?
Yes.
Did you conduct a forensic
examination of my client?
I did.
His scores on the race-based
trauma stress symptom scale
were clinically significant.
He met all the criteria for
PTSD with dissociative symptoms.
In your medical opinion,
did years of race-based trauma
and the triggering shock
of his wife and baby's death
interfere with his ability to
distinguish right from wrong?
That is my opinion, yes.
RBTS is not recognized by the DSM V,
the diagnostic bible for
mental health professionals,
- is it?
- Not yet.
So that's a no?
But it has been recognized by
the National Institutes of Health,
the National Center for PTSD,
and the American
Psychological Association.
And it is widely accepted by members
of the psychiatric community.
You didn't examine the
defendant until this week,
- is that correct?
- That's correct.
So you have no idea
what condition he was in
on the day of the murder.
I only know what he related to me.
Thank you. Nothing further.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Hey, Jalen.
- Hey.
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- What are you doing here?
I need you to testify as a rebuttal
witness first thing in the morning.
To say what?
That Cartwright was coherent,
that he was able to
communicate rational thought.
The man tried to kill
himself twice, Nolan.
I know.
A person can be depressed or angry
and still not fit the
definition of insanity.
In order to be legally insane,
a person has to be unable to
understand the wrongfulness
- of their conduct.
- I know.
- I'm a lawyer too.
- OK, so
Race-based trauma is real, Nolan.
Cartwright was going
through a lot of pain.
He was in pain.
Real pain.
He had just lost his wife, his baby.
He needed help.
If I had known he was
going through that,
I should have got him
Is that what this is about?
Your guilt?
This is about the fact that that man
does not deserve to spend the
rest of his life in prison.
I offered him a deal.
He turned it down. What else can I do?
Stipulate to his mental illness.
[SCOFFS]
Let him go to a psychiatric hospital.
He committed a premeditated,
cold-blooded murder, an act of revenge.
And and he told you why he did it.
An eye for an eye.
A legally insane man
would never say that.
I'm not sure that I
remember it that way.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Excuse me?
We talked about this,
and you told me that is what he said.
I can't help you, Nolan.
Sorry.
Detective. [SIGHS]
I thought you might say that.
- I will see you in the morning.
- Oh, no.
♪
Thank you.
Thanks, Steve.
[SIGHS]
So Price slapped me with a subpoena.
Well, you didn't give
him much choice, did you?
Hmm.
What's your plan?
Cartwright was not in his right mind
when he did what he did.
That man was past his breaking point.
And I get why he did it.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't agree
with what he did, obviously.
I just get why he did it.
It's the years of being dismissed
and ignored
and mistreated.
Does a number on you, man.
I can't even imagine.
You know, last year,
this white cop thought
I was a murder suspect.
So what did he do? He
put his gun to my head.
Tells me to get on my knees.
And I try to tell him, "I'm a detective.
I'm on the job." I try
to show him my badge.
It
son of a bitch could have killed me.
And what's worse is, the department,
our department, takes his side.
What?
Yeah.
Disciplines me for failing
to submit to his command.
I had never felt rage
like that in my life.
I I
I wanted to hurt somebody.
I'm not proud of that.
And it's not just the police.
It's not just the hospitals.
It's everybody. It's everywhere.
It's the DMV. It's the hotels.
It's the restaurants. It's the banks.
It's
imagine,
your success,
your safety, your security,
your survival,
depends on
the baggage that somebody
else projects onto you.
Or how you make them
feel about themselves.
[CHUCKLES] I mean
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
That's the part that wears you down.
♪
Man, I hear you.
I do.
Just don't lose sight of the
fact that an innocent man,
a doctor, was killed.
Yeah.
You're a cop, Jalen.
You're a cop.
If you're not gonna show up
and tell the truth, then
you're in the wrong
profession, my friend.
♪
You know, Riley, I'm
really starting to like you.
And I appreciate your perspective.
I do.
But with all due respect,
you have no idea what
you're talking about.
And you should just be
grateful that you never will.
♪
Detective Shaw, did you have
occasion to see the defendant
an hour before the shooting?
I did.
He was suicidal.
Almost jumped into the East River.
Tell us about your conversation.
He said that he felt like a failure.
That he let people down.
I wasn't aware of it at the time,
but I think he was
talking about what happened
to his wife and his unborn child.
Did he appear to be coherent?
We were able to communicate.
You were able to reason with him?
I asked him about his
family, if he had kids.
And this struck a chord with him?
I believe so.
He he mentioned he had a son.
Daniel.
And eventually, he calmed down
and said he wanted to go home
and be with him.
Sounds like a man who can understand
the consequences of his actions.
Objection. Counsel's editorializing.
Sustained.
When you went to arrest the defendant,
he fled.
Correct?
Yes.
So he knew that he was guilty.
I suppose.
And he still had the gun with him
when you placed him under arrest?
Yes, he did.
And after you arrested
him, what did he say to you?
♪
Detective Shaw,
what did the defendant say to you?
♪
He said it was an eye for an eye.
So what he did
was intentional?
Killing Dr. Jeffers was
an act of willful revenge?
I can't speak to that.
♪
I can testify to what he said.
"An eye for an eye."
♪
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
In the matter of People
versus Kenneth Cartwright,
how do you find?
We find the defendant
guilty of murder in the second degree.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
No. No.
Members of the jury,
thank you for your service.
You are excused.
[GAVEL BANGS]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate yet
equally important groups,
the police who investigate crime
and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
No, no. Party was great.
Epic, really.
I just had to be up early for work.
I'll call you back.
Hey, bro.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hey.
What are you doing?
Why don't you come back from over there?
Let's let's talk for a minute, huh?
Leave me alone.
I can't walk away if I
think somebody needs help.
So why don't you humor me, huh?
What's your name?
♪
Bill.
Bill Johnson.
OK, Bill.
I'm not worth it.
A freaking failure, that's what I am.
- No.
- Don't waste your time.
I got all the time in the world, Bill.
We both do.
Now, why do you think
you're a failure, huh?
♪
Look, leave me alone.
♪
Somebody make you that bracelet?
You got kids?
I have a son.
He's all I got.
I'm all he's got.
Crap luck for him.
No, no, no, no. Hey, don't say that.
He needs you to be there for him.
Trust me, I know.
I was raised by a single dad.
That man was my hero.
Even if he didn't know it.
He used to talk about tough times.
Times I'd have to push through.
We all have days like this, Bill.
So now what I'm gonna ask you to do
is give me your hand,
and you and I can get
through this one together.
For your son.
♪
Please.
♪
OK.
There you go. Come on.
All right, OK.
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- All right. There we go.
All right.
Good man.
Oh.
♪
That's good. All right.
I'm gonna call somebody to
get you some help, all right?
No.
I have to get home.
I just want to make sure you're OK.
Please.
I'm OK.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
I wasn't gonna jump. I'm just
having a really
rough time.
OK, Listen,
if you're ever
having a rough time like that again,
you give me a call instead of that.
You're a cop?
I am.
If you need help, I can make some calls.
That's what I'm here for.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Thanks.
I appreciate you.
♪
Get home safe.
Yeah.
♪
Hey, partner.
Hey.
Got a little extra
beauty rest this morning?
I wish.
I, um,
ran into a jumper on the way here.
You mean like a jumper jumper?
Like a jumper jumper.
Whoa.
How did that go? You talk him down?
Yeah.
This guy was really struggling.
I wasn't sure which way
it was gonna play out.
How'd you do it?
Just tried to connect.
How you doing? You OK?
I need you both to head over
to Mercy General right away.
- Why, what's up?
- Active shooter.
- At the hospital?
- Emergency room.
Mobile command center is on its way.
I'll see you over there.
Out of the frying pan, into the inferno.
Fire.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Either way, this day just got worse.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What do we got?
Witnesses say the shooter fled on foot.
Sergeant ordered a
level one mobilization.
All available units are out
covering a 10-block radius.
- How many victims?
- One dead.
Over here, a doctor,
Bryan Jeffers, age 45.
Ooh.
Took one to the chest, huh?
And one to the back.
Somebody wanted him dead.
- Any other casualties?
- Nurse.
She's in surgery. Shot in the gut.
Hasn't given a statement yet.
How many shots in total?
We found four casings, all from a .380.
Any video?
Hospital security said they
can't release the footage
without the OK from
their legal department.
Privacy laws or something.
Well, mobile command's pulling
footage from the street cams.
Dixon can check in with them.
Yeah.
Anybody get a look at the shooter?
He was wearing a mask and hoodie.
Best witness is the admitting nurse.
Thank you.
The guy just walked right in,
went right past me.
I tried to stop him until
until I saw he had the gun.
What did he look like?
Maybe 5'8 ", 5'9",
Black, wearing a dark hoodie
and a surgical mask.
Did it seem to you like
he was targeting anyone?
I heard him yelling at Dr. Jeffers.
Did it seemed like he knew Jeffers?
Like, he he actually used his name?
It sounded personal.
Like like he had some
kind of beef with him.
- Do you remember what he said?
- No.
I-I just got on the floor.
I was scared. We all were.
- Of course.
- What else was
- Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, ma'am.
- Ma'am, no. stop.
- Let me through!
- Hey, Doctor.
This is a restricted area. Doctor!
Bryan!
[CRYING]
That's Dr. Jeffers' wife.
Bryan!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Keep the streets blocked
off and divert all patients.
No one in or out of the area.
As far as we know, this
shooter is still armed.
We think the shooter may have
been targeting your husband.
Do you have any idea
who might have done this?
Patient or colleague maybe?
Last night,
Bryan said he had a run-in
with a new security guard.
Security guard? What kind of run-in?
Caught the guy stealing pills.
Had him fired on the spot.
Did he threaten your husband?
Bryan said he swore
at him, threw things.
They had to call the
police to get him out.
- Do you know this man's name?
- No.
But you can ask the security office.
Anything from the traffic cams?
Not yet.
But the hospital sent over
info on that security guard
who had the run-in
with Jeffers yesterday.
His name is Terrence Lamont.
Date of birth, November 16, 1976.
He's 5'10".
Does he have a rap sheet?
No convictions.
Does have a carry permit.
- A .380?
- Yeah.
And it looks like
hospital security filed
a supplemental report this morning,
one hour before shots were fired.
Lamont was trying to get
back into the hospital.
All right, text his
address to Riley and Shaw.
I'm gonna call and try
and get a search warrant.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Terrence Lamont, open up.
NYPD.
- Terrence Lamont?
- Yeah. What the hell?
- Arrest warrant. Come here.
- What?
Turn around.
- You got any weapons on you?
- Stay up there.
Where's your gun?
The .380, where is it?
- I want a lawyer.
- Good.
You can call him from the precinct.
Let's go.
My client had nothing
to do with that shooting.
Yeah, you were pretty pissed at Dr.
Jeffers about calling the police.
Yeah, I was.
Those doctors think they walk on water.
But I didn't kill anyone.
We know you have a .380
registered in your name.
We checked your apartment,
we didn't find it.
Where's the gun?
Stolen. Two months ago.
My client filed a
report with Rochester PD.
Their records will confirm.
All right, we'll check up on that.
I was hoping we might
work something out here.
My client has some information to trade.
We're all ears. What do you know?
- First
- I was talking to him.
Let's discuss dismissing the stolen drug
and assault charges from the hospital
If you know something
about the shooting,
you tell us right now.
[TENSE MUSIC]
When I was leaving the
hospital, on the way home,
waiting at the bus stop,
I saw a man running.
Threw a gun in his backpack.
What'd this guy look like?
Does that mean we got a deal?
If his info checks out,
then we will call the DA's office.
Come on, brother, help yourself.
♪
5'9",
Black,
in a hoodie wearing
a paper surgical mask.
When he put the gun away,
he took the mask off,
threw it in a grate.
Exact location.
♪
So we got a call from Rochester PD.
Lamont's stolen gun story checks out.
All right, what about
the guy with the backpack?
Did you find the mask that he ditched?
Unis found it exactly where
Lamont said it was gonna be.
All right, we'll have it tested for DNA.
Where are we at with the
hospital video footage?
Any progress?
No, the lawyers are still
refusing to give it up.
Call over to the DA's office.
- Let's get Maroun on this.
- OK.
There is a killer on the loose,
and the hospital security
video can help police
identify and apprehend him.
Mercy employees were
injured in the shooting.
The hospital wants to
help law enforcement.
Great. Then give us the video.
We can't. HIPAA laws don't allow it.
There are exceptions to the law.
Not when it comes to videotape
that will expose the identities
of dozens of patients.
The hospital can
redact individual faces.
Chanko versus American
Broadcasting Companies.
The Appeals Court
opinion was very clear,
the release of video with blurred faces
and altered voices still violates HIPAA.
Unfortunately, Ms.
Maroun, I have no choice
but to deny your request
for access to the video.
What about surveillance footage
from outside the hospital?
There is no reasonable
expectation of privacy there.
Send Maroun a fruit basket.
Why, what do you got?
Two minutes after shots were fired,
a Black man in a
hoodie and surgical mask
bolts out of the yard and heads north.
It picked him up again here.
- Is that a gun?
- Looks like it.
And check it out, there's some
kind of logo on his backpack.
St. Francis.
It's a boys school up on 136th Street.
My kids have some friends that go there.
136, that's a few blocks
from Mercy General.
Is our shooter a kid?
We have ten students named Daniel.
Any of them absent today
or missing from class?
All checked in on time.
Wait, wait.
No. One boy is out.
We'll need his last name.
Cartwright. Daniel
Cartwright, 11th grader.
11th grade. So he's what, 17?
16. He's a good student.
Pretty unusual for him to miss a day.
Can we see a picture of this kid?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
On the right. 7.
[KNOCKING]
NYPD, open up.
Detectives, open up!
What is going oh, my God!
We have a warrant to
search the premises.
I don't I don't understand.
What is happening?
Your son Daniel, is he here?
My
Daniel is my nephew.
He's here. What is this about?
Daniel, where are your parents?
My mom, she
His his mother,
my sister-in-law Nora,
she died yesterday.
What happened?
She was pregnant.
And she had just entered
her third trimester.
A few days ago, she started
experiencing sharp pains.
My brother took her to the hospital.
Was she treated at Mercy General?
Yes. She got home. Her pains got worse.
Yesterday, she went into early labor.
She died on the way to the hospital.
Her and the baby.
Daniel, I can see how that
would make you very upset.
Is that why you went to
the hospital this morning?
The hospital? I didn't go there.
No, he's been here with me all morning.
We found this in the closet.
It's empty.
That's for a .380.
Daniel, we need your honesty right now.
Where's the gun?
It belongs to my dad.
That's your dad's gun?
Were you aware that he
had a firearm in the house?
No.
Do you happen to know if your
dad had a permit for that gun?
Daniel.
Is this your father?
What's his name?
Kenneth.
Where is he right now?
He called me early.
He wanted me to be here with Daniel.
Asked to borrow my car.
I need the plates right now.
We need an APB on a beige Chevy.
License 239 Alpha Charlie Delta Tango.
- You all right?
- Not really.
Guy in the photo, Kenneth Cartwright,
that's the jumper from this morning.
He must have given me a fake name.
That's the guy?
Yeah.
I talked him out of killing himself
just so he can waltz into
Mercy and shoot up the damn ER.
♪
All right, thank you.
Mercy General just confirmed
Dr. Jeffers was the one who did
the evaluation on Cartwright's wife.
Hey, this is not on you, man, all right?
You did what you thought
was right in the moment.
If I had just called for
a bus when I first saw him,
insisted that he be seen by a doctor,
Jeffers' wife would not be
casket shopping right now.
Hey, do not do that to yourself.
That's hindsight. Let it go.
[PHONE RINGING]
Yeah, Lieu, you get a hit on the plate?
Not yet, but the second victim,
the ER nurse who was shot, she's awake.
- She talking?
- Better than that.
She already picked out
Cartwright's photo from a six pack.
- Great.
- Yeah.
But she keeps saying she's worried
that he's gonna kill somebody else.
- What do you mean?
- I don't know.
She's in the ICU.
She's on a lot of painkillers.
She just keeps saying, he's
gonna shoot somebody else.
So I need you to get over
there as soon as you can
and find out what the
hell she's talking about.
Yeah, copy that.
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry. I'm still feeling so foggy.
I understand.
But this is important, OK?
Why do you think he's gonna kill again?
Just tell us what you remember.
I was talking to Dr. Jeffers,
about to check in on a patient,
when Nora Cartwright's husband came in.
What did he do?
He pointed the gun at Dr. Jeffers.
And he just started shooting.
Dr. Jeffers got shot in
the back, fell to the floor,
and
the man just shot him
again in the chest.
How did you get shot?
I think a bullet
ricocheted off something
and hit me in the stomach.
And did Mr. Cartwright say anything
after he shot Jeffers?
He said, "You killed my wife."
And then he yelled out loud,
"Where's the other doctor?"
Wait, what doctor?
Who else was responsible
for Nora Cartwright's care?
Dr. Jeffers did the
eval with Dr. Edison.
Mark Edison.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SIRENS WAILING]
Oh, wait, text from Yee.
She got a hit on the plate.
His car's about two blocks from
Edison's house on 136th Street.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
[ENGINE REVVING]
Slow down, buddy.
Stop sign! Whoa.
Jalen!
[TIRES SCREECHING]
♪
12 o'clock, there he is.
♪
I got him.
♪
We got a 10-13. Suspect
armed. Riverside 138.
♪
2-7 Squad, suspect is
heading to the westbound
service road near 135 Street.
I'm in pursuit.
♪
[SIRENS BLARE]
Hey, you put that down!
Kenneth, put the gun down!
Do not give them a reason.
No. Hey, hey, hey, hey.
There's only one good choice here.
- Oh, my God.
- Think about your son.
You.
Right now, he's at
home with your sister,
Deborah, safe and sound.
Do not make him an orphan, you hear me?
He needs you.
Now, you take that gun and you toss it.
Toss the gun.
[GROANS]
You toss it.
Good man.
Now put your hands behind your head.
Hands behind your head.
Turn around.
Walk to me slowly.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Didn't have to be this way, Kenneth.
You know what they did
to my wife, my baby.
An eye for an eye.
What'd you say?
An eye for an eye.
They killed Nora, so I killed them.
You have the right to remain silent
I killed them. I killed them.
You have the right to remain silent.
♪
You good?
♪
Calling docket ending in 6709,
People versus Kenneth Cartwright.
How do you plead, sir?
My client pleads not guilty, Your Honor.
Question of bail?
The defendant walked into
a hospital emergency room
and opened fire.
Shot and killed a dedicated
and renowned physician
and seriously injured a nurse.
We have a strong case,
including an eyewitness and DNA
from the mask he was wearing.
We seek remand.
Mr. Dressler?
My client's an electrician
with no prior record.
And the People's case isn't as strong
as they would have you believe.
When Detective Shaw
arrested the defendant,
he was holding the murder weapon.
He also confessed to Detective Shaw.
The defendant is remanded.
[GAVEL BANGS] Next case.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Dr. Jeffers.
Tell us about your husband.
He was a good man.
A loving husband, devoted dad,
and a hell of a physician.
He worked in the emergency
room at Mercy General?
For 12 years.
It was his dream job.
He thrived there.
Even with all the tragedy and chaos.
He cared deeply for all his patients.
Is this when you last saw
your husband, Dr. Jeffers?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
Yes.
Suffering from two gunshot wounds,
one to the back, one to the chest?
Yes.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Your husband, the dedicated doctor
who cared deeply for his patients,
spent a total of six minutes
evaluating Kenneth
Cartwright's wife, Nora.
He ignored or dismissed
her obvious symptoms
and failed to diagnose her preeclampsia.
Unfortunately, the misdiagnosis
is a common mistake.
More common when the patient is Black.
Objection. Argumentative.
No foundation.
The witness is a medical doctor.
Go ahead.
Did you know that
Black women in New York
are nine times more likely to die
of pregnancy-related
complications than white women?
I
my husband treated all
patients with dignity.
Your husband made the same
misdiagnosis with two other patients.
Both were Black women.
One of them also died.
There's no dignity in that.
I understand, but
he also helped a lot of women.
As a practicing physician,
did you also know
that the systemic
neglect of women of color
in a hospital setting has
become a public health crisis?
That the Black maternal death rate
is more than double that of white women?
Your Honor, relevance?
Counsel, approach.
Mr. Dressler, what are you doing?
Educating the jury about racial
injustice in the health care system.
How is that even remotely relevant?
Mr. Price has a point.
We plan to change our plea.
To what?
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
Insanity?
What's the underlying condition?
Race-based traumatic stress.
Oh.
Do you have an expert
prepared to testify?
- Yes.
- An expert in racial trauma?
I have never heard of this condition
being used in an insanity case.
There's a first time for everything.
[SCOFFS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm granting the defense's request.
You may present an insanity
defense, Mr. Dressler.
- Your Honor.
- Step back, Mr. Price.
♪
Yes, Senator.
OK.
I appreciate that.
Goodbye.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown,
Mr. Acting District Attorney.
As far as I'm concerned,
the governor can't name
Jack's replacement soon enough.
I can't believe he's really gone.
End of an era.
Yeah.
He was
amazing.
Yeah.
I hope you come bearing good news.
I, um,
reviewed the defendant's discovery.
He's got a well-documented history.
Years of race-based trauma and abuse.
What do you mean?
Police reports show that he was
racially profiled five times.
Stopped on the street,
pulled over in his car,
followed around by store
security for no legitimate reason.
He spent a weekend in jail for
suspicion of drug trafficking.
They arrested him in front of his son.
He had to spend five grand for a lawyer,
and the charges were eventually dropped.
- I could go on.
- No need. I get the idea.
And the final straw was the doctor's
mistreatment of his pregnant wife.
I get it.
But?
It doesn't excuse or
justify what Cartwright did.
No, but it sure gives
his actions some context.
And the jury might find it
to be a mitigating factor.
What are you suggesting?
I think we should offer a
plea, diminished capacity.
It was a premeditated murder.
The facts suggest that
That he was suffering, Nolan.
His wife and baby had just died.
I'm not saying we should let him walk.
I'm saying we should
show some compassion
for what the man went through.
We're prepared to offer Man One,
15 years.
No.
I can't do 15 years.
With good behavior, you'll be out in 12.
Would you consider seven?
Ten is the best I can do.
OK.
But only if it's home confinement.
That's not how this works.
You have to serve your
sentence in a prison.
Like I said, I can't.
Hold on a minute, Kenneth.
Let's let's hear him out.
I have a son.
His mother just died.
I need to be around so
I don't lose him too.
Your son can visit you in prison.
Look, I know it's not
the same thing, but
it's a generous offer.
I agree.
It's a good offer.
The only reason we're willing to do this
is because we know
what you went through.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I appreciate it.
But I want my son
to know that I fought for him,
for what's left of our family.
So I'd rather roll the dice
and hope the jury realizes
I'm a good person
who just did a stupid thing
because I was crazy that day.
♪
I guess we'll see you in court.
♪
[BUZZER BLARES]
♪
I feel terrible about what I did.
I wish I could take it back.
Why did you do it?
I wasn't in my right mind.
Please tell the members of the jury
what you mean by that.
I have taken a lot over
the course of my life.
A woman sees me in the elevator,
says she's gonna wait for the next car.
I smile
and tell her to have a nice day.
A taxi driver won't stop to pick me up.
I wait for the next one.
And then there's the
promotions I've lost,
the jobs I didn't get.
But when it came
To my wife
my baby
I couldn't see past it.
They were
it was too much.
What do you mean by that?
The way those doctors treated her
[SOBBING]
♪
Ignored her problems,
her symptoms.
Told her the pain was in her head
like she was stupid.
Like she didn't matter.
The day they died,
my mind was just spinning.
My heart was beating really fast.
I knew I had to do something.
I wanted to kill myself.
But then I went
and did what I did.
Nothing further.
♪
On the morning of the murder,
your son, Daniel, was home?
Yes.
Did you speak with him?
Did you check that he was all right?
I did.
And you had a conversation
with your sister?
You asked her to come
over, sit with your son?
Yes.
'Cause you were going to Mercy General
and you didn't want Daniel to be alone.
That's right.
Right.
You had a plan.
I don't know. I just sort of did things.
Did things?
Like retrieve your gun
from your bedroom closet,
then head down to Mercy General,
looked for Dr. Jeffers,
then started shooting?
Yeah, I guess so.
All those things required
clear and lucid thought,
as did putting on a mask and
a hoodie to disguise yourself.
I don't know.
I just did it.
Then
then you shot Dr. Jeffers
in the back and in the chest.
And then you set out to find Dr. Edison.
But I didn't find him.
I was glad those detectives stopped me.
Yes.
We are all glad about that.
I have nothing further.
Call your next witness, Mr. Dressler.
Race-based trauma stress,
also known as RBTS,
is the fraternal twin of
post-traumatic stress disorder.
What causes it?
Those suffering from the condition
have experienced or seen
those close to them experience
some form of racism.
Discriminatory practices, hate crimes.
What are the symptoms?
Like PTSD, symptoms run the gamut.
Depression, difficulty sleeping,
anxiety, loss of appetite,
headaches, crying spells.
Suicidal ideation?
Yes.
Did you conduct a forensic
examination of my client?
I did.
His scores on the race-based
trauma stress symptom scale
were clinically significant.
He met all the criteria for
PTSD with dissociative symptoms.
In your medical opinion,
did years of race-based trauma
and the triggering shock
of his wife and baby's death
interfere with his ability to
distinguish right from wrong?
That is my opinion, yes.
RBTS is not recognized by the DSM V,
the diagnostic bible for
mental health professionals,
- is it?
- Not yet.
So that's a no?
But it has been recognized by
the National Institutes of Health,
the National Center for PTSD,
and the American
Psychological Association.
And it is widely accepted by members
of the psychiatric community.
You didn't examine the
defendant until this week,
- is that correct?
- That's correct.
So you have no idea
what condition he was in
on the day of the murder.
I only know what he related to me.
Thank you. Nothing further.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Hey, Jalen.
- Hey.
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- What are you doing here?
I need you to testify as a rebuttal
witness first thing in the morning.
To say what?
That Cartwright was coherent,
that he was able to
communicate rational thought.
The man tried to kill
himself twice, Nolan.
I know.
A person can be depressed or angry
and still not fit the
definition of insanity.
In order to be legally insane,
a person has to be unable to
understand the wrongfulness
- of their conduct.
- I know.
- I'm a lawyer too.
- OK, so
Race-based trauma is real, Nolan.
Cartwright was going
through a lot of pain.
He was in pain.
Real pain.
He had just lost his wife, his baby.
He needed help.
If I had known he was
going through that,
I should have got him
Is that what this is about?
Your guilt?
This is about the fact that that man
does not deserve to spend the
rest of his life in prison.
I offered him a deal.
He turned it down. What else can I do?
Stipulate to his mental illness.
[SCOFFS]
Let him go to a psychiatric hospital.
He committed a premeditated,
cold-blooded murder, an act of revenge.
And and he told you why he did it.
An eye for an eye.
A legally insane man
would never say that.
I'm not sure that I
remember it that way.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Excuse me?
We talked about this,
and you told me that is what he said.
I can't help you, Nolan.
Sorry.
Detective. [SIGHS]
I thought you might say that.
- I will see you in the morning.
- Oh, no.
♪
Thank you.
Thanks, Steve.
[SIGHS]
So Price slapped me with a subpoena.
Well, you didn't give
him much choice, did you?
Hmm.
What's your plan?
Cartwright was not in his right mind
when he did what he did.
That man was past his breaking point.
And I get why he did it.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't agree
with what he did, obviously.
I just get why he did it.
It's the years of being dismissed
and ignored
and mistreated.
Does a number on you, man.
I can't even imagine.
You know, last year,
this white cop thought
I was a murder suspect.
So what did he do? He
put his gun to my head.
Tells me to get on my knees.
And I try to tell him, "I'm a detective.
I'm on the job." I try
to show him my badge.
It
son of a bitch could have killed me.
And what's worse is, the department,
our department, takes his side.
What?
Yeah.
Disciplines me for failing
to submit to his command.
I had never felt rage
like that in my life.
I I
I wanted to hurt somebody.
I'm not proud of that.
And it's not just the police.
It's not just the hospitals.
It's everybody. It's everywhere.
It's the DMV. It's the hotels.
It's the restaurants. It's the banks.
It's
imagine,
your success,
your safety, your security,
your survival,
depends on
the baggage that somebody
else projects onto you.
Or how you make them
feel about themselves.
[CHUCKLES] I mean
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
That's the part that wears you down.
♪
Man, I hear you.
I do.
Just don't lose sight of the
fact that an innocent man,
a doctor, was killed.
Yeah.
You're a cop, Jalen.
You're a cop.
If you're not gonna show up
and tell the truth, then
you're in the wrong
profession, my friend.
♪
You know, Riley, I'm
really starting to like you.
And I appreciate your perspective.
I do.
But with all due respect,
you have no idea what
you're talking about.
And you should just be
grateful that you never will.
♪
Detective Shaw, did you have
occasion to see the defendant
an hour before the shooting?
I did.
He was suicidal.
Almost jumped into the East River.
Tell us about your conversation.
He said that he felt like a failure.
That he let people down.
I wasn't aware of it at the time,
but I think he was
talking about what happened
to his wife and his unborn child.
Did he appear to be coherent?
We were able to communicate.
You were able to reason with him?
I asked him about his
family, if he had kids.
And this struck a chord with him?
I believe so.
He he mentioned he had a son.
Daniel.
And eventually, he calmed down
and said he wanted to go home
and be with him.
Sounds like a man who can understand
the consequences of his actions.
Objection. Counsel's editorializing.
Sustained.
When you went to arrest the defendant,
he fled.
Correct?
Yes.
So he knew that he was guilty.
I suppose.
And he still had the gun with him
when you placed him under arrest?
Yes, he did.
And after you arrested
him, what did he say to you?
♪
Detective Shaw,
what did the defendant say to you?
♪
He said it was an eye for an eye.
So what he did
was intentional?
Killing Dr. Jeffers was
an act of willful revenge?
I can't speak to that.
♪
I can testify to what he said.
"An eye for an eye."
♪
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
In the matter of People
versus Kenneth Cartwright,
how do you find?
We find the defendant
guilty of murder in the second degree.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
No. No.
Members of the jury,
thank you for your service.
You are excused.
[GAVEL BANGS]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]