.
- 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.
- Is that Vanessa?
Yo, see if she got any cute friends.
- Oh, chill out.
That's not even her.
- What, y'all break up?
- No.
No, there's more than one girl out there.
So mind your business.
- But you know I'm right, though.
- You ain't wrong. - Nah, I'm right.
- You just ain't wrong.
- 'Cause I'm right.
- T, he's got a gun!
[tense music]
[gunshot]
- What do we got?
- As far as cause of death is concerned,
what you see is what you get--
two gunshot wounds to the torso.
- Looks like the shooter was over there.
Fired off four rounds, 9 millimeter.
- Recover any bullets?
- No, but didn't see any exit wounds, so.
- He's still got his wallet and cell phone.
Unlikely this was a robbery.
What we got?
Hassan Peterson, student of Roberts Academy.
- Roberts?
That's down on, what, 88th? 89th?
- Yeah.
Any cameras in view of the scene?
- Not directly, but we're still looking.
- Who called it in?
- Ivan Perez.
He was making a delivery when it happened.
- Ivan?
I'm Detective Riley.
This is Detective Walker.
Did you see the shooter?
- No, I just heard someone yell, "He's got a gun!"
Something like that.
And then I heard gunshots,
and then I saw the kid, the one that's dead,
fall to the ground.
And then I ran and hid back behind a car.
- Did you see anything else before the gunshots?
- No. The kid that got shot,
he was with another Black kid.
- The foot canvassing turn anything up?
Any other bodies or blood trails?
- No, nothing.
- Ivan, this other kid, can you describe him?
Was he tall, short, skinny?
- Definitely taller than the other one.
- All right.
Thank you.
- So this other kid sees his buddy get shot,
then runs off and doesn't go for help?
- Friends like these, huh?
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hassan was a good kid.
He worked hard at school.
He did everything right.
- Look, we, uh--
we know this is very difficult for you.
- [sighs]
- But can you think of anyone
who may have wanted to hurt your son?
- No. He seemed to be well-liked.
He had a lot of friends.
- Do you have any idea what he was doing
up in Washington Heights today?
- No.
- Did he have any friends up there?
- Not that I know of.
- He used to tutor at a school up there,
but he stopped about a year ago.
- A witness saw Hassan walking with another boy,
a Black kid, seconds before the murder.
Any idea who that could be?
- No.
- Okay.
Um, when you get a moment,
if you could give us a list of Hassan's closest friends,
we'll reach out.
Maybe they know something.
- [sighs]
- I spoke with four of Hassan's friends.
Got the same story from each of them.
He was a great kid.
Had no idea who'd want to hurt him.
And none of them were in contact with him
after school yesterday.
What about you?
You got anything back from ballistics?
- I'm on hold with them now.
- All right.
I really could use some good news, Vi.
- Well, we got video from the street cams near
the crime scene, but there's no angle on the murder,
just a bunch of people running like hell
after the shots rang out.
- Ballistics says the markings on the bullets
match a gun that was used
in a gang-related shooting last year.
- Street gang?
Hassan seems like such a choir boy--
an A student, no priors. - Right.
- But he is in the NYPD gang database.
He's affiliated with a group up in Washington Heights.
- What's the gang?
- Pleasant View Mafia.
- Ah.
Good old PVM.
They operate out of the Pleasant View Housing Projects.
Built their rep on brutality.
- I think we need to know more about this previous shooting.
- All right.
I'm on it.
Ryan. - Oh.
[chuckles] Good to see you, Theo.
Been too long. - Too long.
Vince, this is Ryan Barkley.
We worked together when I was undercover.
- Good to meet you. - Good to meet you as well.
Look, Theo's a good man, all right?
Might be a little crazy sometimes,
but definitely one of the smartest cops
that I've ever worked with.
[chuckles] What can I do for you fellas?
- We're working a homicide.
Victim's name is Hassan Peterson, age 16?
- Ballistics match a gun from a previous shooting.
- Yeah, I remember this.
Triple homicide. Three Mexican gangbangers.
We investigated for several months
but couldn't make a case.
- Any suspects?
- Oh, yeah, lots.
All members of the PV Mafia.
- What?
The shooter from the prior incident was PVM?
- Most definitely.
But like I said, we couldn't build a case.
- This could be an inside thing, like PVM on PVM?
- Well, it sure looks that way.
Good luck with the case.
- Thanks, man.
- My son in a gang?
- We understand how this sounds, Mr. Peterson.
But we have reason to believe
that Hassan's murder could be gang-related.
- I thought this was all behind us.
- Sorry, what are you talking about?
- Like my wife mentioned,
Hassan used to do some tutoring.
One day, he went out for pizza with one of his students,
and they get hassled by a cop.
Turns out this kid was in a gang,
so they assumed Hassan was too.
- You know this kid's name?
- No, never bothered to ask.
In fact, that's why I made Hassan quit
the tutoring program.
[uneasy music]
Oh, my God.
That's why he was up there.
He and this kid were probably still friends.
- So there's a good chance that bullet was meant for him
and not Hassan.
♪ ♪
.
- Hey. I just talked to the school
where Hassan volunteered.
They're gonna send over a list of kids
from the tutoring program. - All right.
- Guys, I think I found something.
So this is half a block from the crime scene.
- Oh, there he is.
Can you punch in on the plates?
- I tried. There aren't any.
- This guy's wearing a mask, so.
- Yeah, so we're pretty much nowhere with him.
But you see that guy in the team jacket?
- Mm-hmm.
- For 30 minutes, he's just standing there, hanging out.
- Guy hears shots go off, doesn't run.
Then just stands there until the getaway car takes off...
[suspenseful music]
Then just walks off.
- You think he might be a lookout?
- Or a cold-blooded dude who does not blink
when four gunshots ring out.
- Can you run facial rec?
- No, the footage is too grainy.
- We're gonna have to find another way to ID this guy.
- Yeah.
But how?
- Want to go for a ride?
♪ ♪
- So I'm still a little confused here.
This bartender buddy of yours, he's in a gang,
or he just bartends at a place
that a lot of bangers hang out at?
- More the latter.
- And you think he's just gonna give up
the name of the lookout?
To a cop?
- It's worth a shot.
- Whoa.
The hell are you doing?
- Just hang here for a bit.
Watch my back.
♪ ♪
[indistinct rap music playing]
♪ ♪
- I know that ain't Theo Wall.
- Good to see you, bro.
- [chuckles] It's been a minute, though.
Didn't expect to see your Black ass again.
- We'll catch up another time, big dog.
Need to talk to my girl Juju.
- Sorry, brother.
Rules are rules. - Okay.
- [sighs]
- Mm-hmm.
Hey.
Oh, it's like that?
- Six months.
Not a damn word.
- You think this is what I want?
- Oh, you're the victim now?
[scoffs] Come on now, Theo.
- The cops were closing in.
Started making arrests.
So I left. I had no choice.
- But you still had a damn phone.
- I got spooked.
I didn't know who was who, you know?
Or if the police were listening.
So I stayed low.
But I'm sorry.
All right, I should have--
I should have found a way to reach out
to let you know what's up.
'Cause you deserve better.
- But now you need a favor.
- [sighs]
Can we talk someplace private, please?
- I need five.
[suspenseful music]
- A kid was shot.
I just gotta figure out who did it.
- You want info on a shooting?
Have you lost your damn mind?
- I just need to know who was involved, that's all.
- And why is that?
- The boy they shot was my cousin Hassan.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
I didn't even know you had a cousin.
- Yeah, the boy was going places too.
A student at a prestigious private school, ran track.
So I need answers, okay?
- I'd help if I could. I haven't heard anything.
- You know this guy?
- Yeah.
Pretty sure that's Book.
- What's his real name?
- Don't know.
- PVM?
- He's on the fringe--
low-level drug dealer looking to move up in the world.
- How can I find him?
- You want to find him?
What, you a killer all of a sudden?
- No.
But this is a family thing now.
So I need answers, Juju.
- He hangs out near the housing projects
on 160th Street, near Building 8.
- All right. I appreciate your help.
- Keep your damn cash.
- Juju. Hey, hey.
Hey, come on, look.
I'm sorry.
I told you.
I really am, all right?
[train rumbling]
♪ ♪
- Then call me.
- Come on, Theo.
Are you seriously not gonna talk about what just happened?
- What do you mean?
- You insult my intelligence now too?
- Just say it, man.
- You went undercover back there, didn't you?
- So?
- So it's a little sketchy, man.
- Just trying to get information is all.
- Yeah? What about that woman?
That seemed pretty friendly. She know you're a cop?
- Nope.
I've been meaning to talk to her.
- Yeah.
- It's just... a little complicated.
- She know your real name?
- Your two o'clock.
Hey, Book.
- NYPD need to talk to you.
- I got nothing to say.
- We can do this here,
or we can do this at the 2-7, man.
Up to you. - [inhales sharply]
Yeah, what y'all want to talk about?
- Hassan Peterson. - Who?
- 16-year-old kid who was gunned down yesterday
over on 164th Street.
- Yo, man, I don't know anything about that.
- You sure about that?
- Yeah, that's not me. - Really?
That's not you wearing this jacket?
- For real?
I'm the only dude in this city wearing this jacket?
Listen, man, I barely left my apartment yesterday, man.
I had some sort of sinus infection.
- Where's home at?
- 149th Street.
- We need a real address, man.
- 92 West 149th Street, Apartment B1.
- Run that back one more time.
- Yo, we good?
[tense music]
- You're good, man.
- That kid is lying his ass off.
Let's keep moving.
I gotta get to my kid's hockey game in an hour.
- No, you go ahead, man.
I'll follow up on Book's alibi.
- You sure? - Yeah.
No problem at all.
- All right. Let me know what you find.
- All right.
♪ ♪
Yo.
We need to talk.
- Aw.
I ain't got time for all this, man.
- You make time for what's important and who's important.
- And that's you?
- Damn right.
- Why's that?
- 'Cause I know this address.
I even used it once.
This is an NYPD safe house,
which means you're an undercover cop.
♪ ♪
.
- I got nothing for you.
Cop or no cop, I ain't see the shooting.
So there's nothing much to talk about.
- No.
We're gonna do this right.
So start at the beginning
and tell me exactly what you saw.
- I saw some dude wearing a mask
running toward a car, a green SUV.
That's it.
- Why were you there in the first place?
Somebody told you there was gonna be a shooting?
Were you there as a lookout?
- What the hell are you talking about?
- Hey, don't be righteous with me, man.
You're the one who was hanging out
near the crime scene of a murder
who then lied to the police.
- 'Cause I'm working undercover.
You already forget what that's like, huh?
I can't be cooperating with no homicide investigation, man.
- You still haven't answered my question.
Come on. Why were you there?
- [sighs]
A guy named T-Brickz told me
that there was a drug deal going down
in that vicinity at that time.
Asked me to keep an eye out.
That's it. That's all I know.
I had no idea that there was a hit gonna go down.
- This T-Brickz-- he mention any names?
- No.
Just told me that there was a deal taking place.
Needed some eyes. That's it.
You know how it is.
These guys don't always tell you
what's really going on, man.
- This dude with the mask, what'd he look like?
Tall? Short?
- 5'11", like, medium build,
and was wearing some red Zef sneakers.
- All right.
At least that's something.
- Yo, we good?
- For now.
- Yo, what's that mean?
- It means I'll try to do my best to keep you out of this.
But you got to understand, I got a job to do, too,
just like you.
- I appreciate that, man.
Look, I've been under two years,
so this whole operation, this is my whole life, man.
- Keep it going, all right?
And stay safe.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Hey. - Hey.
- How was the hockey game? - Oh, man.
We got our asses kicked 6-1.
- Damn. - Unbelievable.
How about you?
How'd things go up on 149th Street?
Learn anything? - No.
No, not a lot of surveillance cameras in that location.
So I was not able to confirm Book's alibi.
- We'll just have to keep looking, then, I guess.
- Hey, the school sent that list of kids
from the tutoring program.
- Any of them from the gang database?
- One--Taris Stewart, confirmed member of PV Mafia.
- Got an address?
- Got a whole file.
Kid's been in the life since he was 13.
- Thank you.
- Mrs. Stewart?
- Yes?
- We need to talk to your son, Taris.
- I got nothing to say.
- We're not asking you to say anything.
We just need to know where he is.
- Like I said, I got nothing to say.
- That's not gonna fly, okay?
- Excuse me?
- We got reason to believe your son has information
about a recent homicide.
Somebody shot his friend and tutor.
- But that was an accident,
'cause Taris was the intended target.
- But you already know that, don't you?
Which is why your son is so hard to locate at the moment.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
So if you don't mind--
- Actually, we definitely mind, okay?
'Cause this kid, Hassan, he was a civilian, just a kid.
He got straight A's and still found time
to help out kids like your Taris with their homework.
And he didn't do it for money.
He didn't do it for credit. He did it just to help.
And he's the one who ended up with a bullet in his chest.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- It's awful what happened to Hassan.
But I ain't no rat.
- 'Cause you're a tough guy, right?
You believe in protecting punks who shoot innocent kids.
- No.
I believe in trying to stay alive.
- But you know who shot Hassan?
- No. I ain't say all that.
- Well, whoever it was, they were there
to shoot you, correct?
- I wanted out of that life.
I told people I was gonna go legit.
And then two days later, some dude comes
shooting at me and Hassan.
- Listen, I'm real glad that you're
trying to change your life and that you didn't get hit.
But your friend, Hassan, was not so lucky, was he?
And he never chose that life.
- Did you happen to see what the shooter looked like?
If he was tall, short?
- Like I said, I ain't no rat.
I'm not gonna go up on no witness stand
and start pointing fingers at people.
- Yeah, you made that very clear.
All right?
So let's just move past all of that.
Let's assume we're not gonna ask you to do that.
But we still need to know who killed Hassan, understand?
♪ ♪
- Well, it happened real fast.
Me and Hass were walking to a pizza shop,
chopping it up.
Some lady yells, "T, he's got a gun!"
I turned around, and I saw some dude with a mask on
rushing toward me.
So I started running.
That's it. That's all I saw.
- All right, but this lady, she called you T?
That means she knows who you are.
She knows your name.
Did you get a good look at her?
Look, Taris, your friend took a bullet
that had your name on it.
Kind of feels like you owe him.
What do you think?
- [sighs]
- Kendra, we have reason to believe that
you may have witnessed a shooting the other day
at 164th Street and Broadway?
[coffee pouring]
- Yeah, I was there.
- Okay.
Why didn't you call the police?
- I get paid to sell cheeseburgers, sweetie.
- Yeah, we get paid to solve murders.
So how about we meet in the middle, huh?
- An innocent kid was murdered that day, Kendra.
Wasn't in no gang.
Wasn't looking for trouble.
- I didn't see his face.
He was wearing a mask.
- Was he tall? Short?
White? Black?
- Black.
Uh, and he was on the taller side,
about 5'11" or so.
- What else? Did he say anything?
Did you hear his voice?
See what kind of shoes he had on?
- Yeah, sneakers, red.
And I saw his eyes too.
- His eyes?
- He--he walked right past me.
Stared a hole right through my damn soul,
if I'm being honest.
Thought he was gonna shoot me.
- Is there anything notable about his eyes?
- They were light, like green or maybe blue.
- Okay. All right. Thank you, Kendra.
This has been very helpful.
- Listen, Vi, we got a physical description of the shooter--
Black, about 5'11", medium build, green eyes,
a member of the PV Mafia.
[dramatic music]
[banging]
- This is a warrant to search your apartment.
- What is this?
- Ma'am, stay where you are. - NYPD!
[officers shouting]
- You must be Eric. - Get off me!
- I ain't answering. - That's all right.
Your pretty green eyes did it for you.
Stay right there.
- You have no right tearing my place apart!
- Ma'am, stay out of the way. Keep her over there, please.
You, stand over there.
- Man, don't tell me where to stand in my house.
- I'm telling you to stand over there.
- I said don't tell me where to stand in my house!
- Slow down. - Don't touch my mom!
- Hey, hey, listen to me. Listen to me.
- Don't touch my mom! [overlapping shouting]
- Hey. - What you want in my room?
Get--get out of my room!
Get out of my room! - Get him up.
- You're hurting him! - Ma'am, you stay over there.
We'll be out of here in ten minutes.
- Get off of me! - You're hurting him!
[handcuffs clicking]
- Vince, look what I found.
- Get off me!
- Eric Robinson, you're under arrest
for the murder of Hassan Peterson.
You have the right to remain silent.
You understand? - It's okay, Mom.
.
- I gotta tell you, it is not looking
too good for you, Eric.
We got an eyewitness who says they saw you
leaving the scene of the crime carrying a gun.
- She also saw your red shoes and gorgeous green peepers.
We know Taris wanted to quit the gang
and you were just following orders.
Mm-hmm.
But you hit the wrong kid, didn't you?
Now you gotta pay the tab.
- Mm, and it's a big one.
I mean, you're looking at life, dog,
even though you were just following orders.
Yeah, I mean, you were a soldier.
You don't decide who lives or dies.
You just do what you're told to do, right?
- So why don't you talk to us, Eric?
Tell us what really happened here.
You do that, I am confident we can get you a good deal.
[suspenseful music]
- Y'all can kiss my ass.
- Don't be stupid, Eric.
Think.
This is your one and only chance
to cut a deal, to look out for you.
♪ ♪
- Lawyer.
- Defendant's name is Eric Robinson, 23.
Been a member of the PV Mafia since he was 11.
Long list of priors--
drug possession, extortion, armed robbery.
- Now murder.
I presume he's not willing to cooperate?
- According to Detective Riley,
he lawyered up real fast,
like a good and proper gangster--his words.
But the police are still investigating,
looking for a connection to someone higher up.
- Police find the murder weapon?
- Yes. Well, sort of.
It was recovered from a communal trash bin
inside the defendant's housing complex.
- But the police also found a box of 9 millimeter ammo
in his apartment.
- Witnesses? - Two.
One was the intended target, Taris Stewart.
He wanted to quit the gang, so Robinson tried to kill him,
but he shot Hassan Peterson instead.
- This kid, Taris Stewart, get a look at the shooter?
- No.
Then again, it doesn't matter because
he is not interested in cooperating.
- I don't care if he's interested.
Subpoena him.
Give him immunity if need be.
- [sighs]
Sure, but he's not gonna testify.
- Even though this punk tried to shoot him?
- You know gang rules, Nick.
Anyway, like I said, he didn't see much.
If anything, he was too busy running for his life.
- So I assume that means witness two
offers more promise?
- She locked eyes with the shooter
as he was running toward the getaway car.
- So she got a good look?
- Oh, real good look.
She gave an accurate description
of his height, build, clothing, and eyes.
- Excuse me?
- Look, shooter was wearing a mask,
but she said he had green eyes.
Eric Robinson has green eyes.
- And that, of course, is relatively unusual
for a Black man, so that's obviously quite helpful.
- Okay, do what you have to do, but I want a conviction
on murder two, nothing less.
- Ms. Newton, where were you on the afternoon
of December 16th at approximately 3:15 p.m.?
- Walking home from work.
- In what part of town?
The more specific, the better.
- On 164th Street, near Broadway.
- Did anything unusual happen?
- Um, I heard gunshots.
- Um, can you describe what happened next
after you heard the gunshots?
[tense music]
♪ ♪
You were walking home.
You hear gunshots.
And then what happened?
- I saw someone run off.
And he was wearing a mask,
so I didn't really get a good look at him.
- Do you remember his height?
His build?
- Average.
- Did you see what type of shoes
or sneakers he was wearing? - No, sir.
- Did you happen to get a look at his face or his eyes?
- Objection, Your Honor.
She already said she didn't get a good look at him.
Mr. Price is fishing.
- Overruled.
The witness will answer the question.
♪ ♪
- No, I did not.
- [sighs] May we take a brief recess?
- We'll resume in one hour.
♪ ♪
- I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure what I saw that day.
- Hey, we know what's going on, Kendra,
so there's no need to lie.
- That man you were staring at in the courtroom,
do you know him?
Is he a member of the PV Mafia?
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- Kendra, we can protect you.
We can relocate you.
- I don't want to be relocated.
I want to live where I live.
And I want to be safe.
- We understand.
But you have a legal obligation to tell the truth, okay?
You can't get up there on the stand and lie.
We can charge you with perjury.
- You think I give a damn about a legal obligation
or some half-assed perjury charge?
- Well, you should.
It's a class D felony.
- I'm pregnant.
I got a little boy inside of me.
I can't put a target on his back
and have people calling his mama a rat.
No.
So I gotta do what's right for him.
So you can put me back up on that witness stand,
but I'm not gonna say what you want me to say.
- Talk to the judge.
[sighs] Get a continuance.
The longer, the better.
We need more evidence.
- Yeah.
- Can't believe "snitches get stitches"
is still a thing. - Yeah.
Way of life for some people.
- Yeah, I'm not seeing anything that's helpful here.
- Me neither.
Our best bet is Book.
- Book?
He said he was home sick.
There's no way for us to prove him wrong, so.
- He's a cop.
- What do you mean, he's a cop?
- He's working undercover.
- How do you know?
- That address he gave us,
it's a safe house.
- You're just telling me this now?
- I was trying to protect his cover--
- Man, we talked about this.
Theo, we talked about this exact thing,
keeping secrets from each other,
this whole lone wolf thing that you do.
- It was not intentional, okay?
I--I just wasn't thinking.
But you're right, okay?
I should have told you.
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
Where are you going now?
- To tell Book he needs to testify.
- No, no, no, no, no, no. - Maybe it's easier.
- No, no, no, man. Look, hey.
If we're gonna talk to him, we do it together,
you understand?
Together.
♪ ♪
.
- Look, I know you guys are in a bind,
but I can't just walk away
and blow my cover. Not over this.
- We appreciate that, but this is a murder case, man.
- It sort of trumps everything else.
- Says you?
- Excuse me?
- I'm trying to take down the PV Mafia.
How many bodies a year do you think
these brothers are responsible for?
Not including the sex trafficking,
the drug overdose-- - Whoa, whoa, look.
We're in the middle of a murder trial here, man.
Now, we got the defendant dead to rights.
All we need is someone--you--
to come in and put the punk at the scene.
So spare me your whole pie-in-the-sky undercover crap
'cause it doesn't mean anything right now.
- Who the hell you think you're talking to?
- Well, I'm talking to you, Officer.
[tense music]
- You ain't got no right to come at me like that.
- Come at you?
Bro, trust me,
I'm restraining myself right now
'cause I don't like cops who lie.
All right?
Who withhold information.
- You know what?
You Homicide guys, you're all the same.
Think your cases are more important than everyone else's.
- Yeah, 'cause they are.
This banger, Eric, he shot and killed
a 16-year-old kid-- an innocent 16-year-old kid.
So we're gonna do whatever we gotta do
to get justice for him and his family.
And if that means forcing you to testify,
then that's just how it is.
♪ ♪
- Give me a sec, please.
- [sighs]
[door opens, slams]
- Look, I did what I could.
But we need you.
We need you, man.
And I know that sucks,
and I know this isn't how you were hoping
this would play out, but you gotta understand--
- Brother, I ain't testifying.
So you can save all that self-help stuff
for someone else.
♪ ♪
[door slams]
- Before you even say anything,
do not give me your lecture right now.
- I'm not gonna give you one, okay?
- Good,
'cause your buddy Book is out of line, man.
He's out of line.
All he cares about is his case
and making a name for himself inside the department.
- Is there something wrong with that?
- Yeah, there's something wrong with that.
Look, this is supposed to be a team sport, right?
All NYPD on the same side. - Right.
- Doing what's best for the victims,
for the people of this city.
- That's easy for you to say.
You don't know what it's like to spend two years
in some crappy, roach-infested apartment
pretending to be somebody else,
risking your life, alone.
That was me, all right?
- You're right. I don't know what that's like.
And I got respect for people who do that line of work.
But I got more respect, Theo,
for the system and how it's supposed to work.
Now, he's gonna testify, okay?
'Cause I'm going over his head.
- We've been trying to infiltrate this organization
for damn near three years.
- I understand that, Lieutenant,
but Officer Booker's testimony is crucial
for this murder trial.
So we're gonna need him to testify.
- So we're, what, we're just gonna blow up
the whole damn operation over one murder?
- One murder? What, that's not enough?
How many do we need to--
- I didn't mean it that way.
- So how did you mean it?
- The PV Mafia is a vicious and ruthless organization.
They traffic women, extort businesses,
sell cocaine, heroin, fentanyl.
Based off the drugs alone, they're probably responsible
for 50 fatal overdoses a year,
not to mention the street violence.
- That may be true, but I'm pretty sure
the parents of Hassan Peterson don't care.
Not even a little.
- Okay, listen, we're really close
to shutting these guys down-- a month, maybe two.
And Booker is key to the whole damn thing.
- I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about that.
We need Officer Booker's cooperation,
so please tell him to call me as soon as he can.
And just so we're clear, if you resist,
I will file charges against you and Officer Booker
this afternoon for obstruction.
So let's just start at the beginning.
Tell us why you were near the crime scene
at the time of the shooting.
- One of the guys told me there was a drug deal
going down around there.
Wanted me to keep an eye out for the police.
- So who's this guy?
- Why does that matter?
- The more we know, the better.
It helps us ask the right questions
and anticipate how the defense may cross-examine you.
- I don't know the dude's name.
- Um, are you referring to someone known as T-Brickz?
- If you already know everything, why do you need me?
Just have Detective Walker testify about
what I already told him.
- It doesn't work that way.
- Well, it should.
- That's a conversation for a different day.
- I put a lot of time into this operation--
a lot of time.
You sure there's nobody else
who can put Eric at the crime scene?
- Yes, we are sure.
[sighs]
You heard gunfire at approximately 3:15 p.m.?
- I don't know what time it was.
- Then you saw a man wearing a mask
running toward an SUV.
Can you describe what this man looked like?
- What if I don't show up for court?
What happens then?
- Then we issue a subpoena compelling you to appear.
- And then I call your boss and your boss's boss
and tell them to fire you.
- That's just ain't right, man.
- I'm sorry you feel that way.
- I belong on the streets, collecting intel,
trying to take down gangs, not in court,
wearing some suit and tie,
pretending to be some sort of police officer.
- Look, I can't change how you feel about your job
or how you perceive your role
in the New York Police Department,
but I can assure you of two things.
Number one, you are, in fact, a police officer.
Number two, not showing up for court
or lying on the stand would be a very bad decision.
- All right. He is trying to help you.
Don't you see that?
Oh, come on, Officer Booker,
we are both sympathetic to the fact this case
interferes with your undercover operation.
But it's not our fault or our problem.
So you need to make peace with that.
- I'm not doing it.
[tense music]
I'm not doing it.
- We need to get this young man back into the real world, fast.
♪ ♪
- Let me guess.
Those prosecutors told you
to talk some sense into my dumb ass.
- Yeah, something like that.
And so you know, they're not just two prosecutors.
One of them is head of the Homicide Bureau,
and the other is the damn DA.
I mean, he's one of the most powerful men in the city,
and they're trying to do the right thing, Ray.
- And how's that?
- They're trying to save your career.
You not showing up to court when you're a cop?
That doesn't work.
All right? That's game over.
- Everybody keeps telling me that.
I'm a cop.
Think like a cop.
If I thought like a cop, I'd already be dead, brother.
- I know what you're-- - For real!
- I know what you're saying.
But you are a cop.
You know that, right?
♪ ♪
- Sometimes I'm not so sure, man.
It's hard to describe what it's like.
I--I feel like I can relate more
to the gangsters than the dudes in blue.
- I get it.
It's hard to separate things
when you're pretending to be somebody you're not,
when you're constantly wondering if the bad guys
see through your lies.
And then one day, it all starts to feel normal.
Like it's not a lie anymore.
Like you really are that other person.
But that's not a good thing, Ray.
It means you've been under too long.
So maybe you should start to look at this thing
in a different way.
- Meaning what?
- Meaning that this could be a good thing.
♪ ♪
Look, when I was under--
like, real under--
I got tight with the head of this set,
guy named Lamar.
One day, he comes over to me and tells me about some dude
who's been skimming off the top.
Asks me to cut his thumb off.
- To prove your loyalty.
- Lucky for me, the guy got shot the next day.
'Cause if I'm being real...
I was gonna do it.
It's over, Ray.
It just is, man.
So you gotta make peace with it.
♪ ♪
- Officer Booker, can you please tell the jury
what you saw take place
on the afternoon of December 16th
around 3:15 p.m.?
[suspenseful music]
- I saw...
I saw a man wearing a mask,
about 5'11", medium build,
run toward a green SUV.
- Did he have anything in his hand?
- Yes. A gun.
A semiautomatic pistol.
- Did you see what type of shoes he was wearing?
- Sneakers.
Red Zefs.
- Did you get a look at his face?
His eyes?
- Yes.
- What color were they?
♪ ♪
- Green.
♪ ♪
[train rumbling]
- Ray.
You did a good job, man.
So good, the jury came back with a guilty verdict
in less than three hours.
So congratulations.
- Congratulations?
You ain't got to do all that, bro.
- Do what?
- Give me some sort of pep talk.
- You ever want to talk to somebody,
this guy is really good.
Like, legit.
I've been seeing him for a few months now,
and it's helping.
I told him you'd be calling, so...
- I appreciate you looking out.
- I've been there, man.
If I'm being honest, a part of me still is.
But I'm working on it.
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
- What's up?
- We need to talk.
I got something I need to tell you.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[wolf howls]