All language subtitles for Homicide.Hunter.S09E17.Blood.Relative.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE.eztv

[ gunshot ]
aaah!

Narrator:
Two murder investigations

From the case files
of lieutenant joe kenda.

You all will died today!

Narrator: First, a family affair
spirals out of control.

[ gunshots, tires screech ]

Oh, my god! Dad!

There was no justice.

Narrator:
And kenda must figure out why.

Whatever happened
started right here.

Drop the keys out the window!
Do it now!

If you're being handled here
at gunpoint...

Back off the car!

...Don't do something stupid.

Narrator: Then...
[ bell tolls ]

A church of god
turns into a house of horrors.

I am the lord jesus christ!

People were praying
for their lives.

He has an inherent violence
about him.

Don't touch the knife, richard.

Benjamin:
He's not complying.

He was just kind of staring
right through us.

♪

Don't do it, richard!

[ gunshot ]

In my business,
you become a very light sleeper.

I had lot of people who wanted
to kill me, among other things

If I would hear any noise,
I was awake.

I was not just awake,
I was wide awake.

This is the way our life was.

It was from one event
to the next.

♪

There's one thing
that never changes -- murder.

A life has been taken.

Their stories
are now my stories.

I never know where a case
is going to lead,

But I'll never stop
until it's solved.

Somebody has to look out
for the victim.

If you kill, I will find you.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪

It's the middle of the night.

Larry and kelly schlott
are asleep...

[ banging on door ]

...When all of a sudden...

Larry. What was that?
Hmm? Hmm?

Sounds like someone
at the front door.

Who the hell could it be
at this hour of the night?

I don't know.
I'll go check it out.

Stay here.
Larry, what are you doing?

[ banging continues ]
shh.

Larry picks up a baseball bat.

♪

[ banging continues ]

♪

He's ready to use it
if he has to.

♪

Louise?

He's shocked
when he opens the door.

This neighbor louise
is crying and frantic.

[ crying ] it's peter.
He's been shot.

I called 911,
but I need you to help me.

Where is he?

She knew that larry knew cpr,

So she asked him
to come render aid to pete.

Oh, my god.
Pete! Pete, pete!

[ crying ]
oh, my god.

Obviously, has serious injuries.

Oh, god.

Hold on, pete.
[ blows ]

[ grunts ]
you with me, buddy?

[ siren wailing in distance ]
[ sobbing ] god.

Mann:
Larry knows it's not working.

It's not going to be able
to save him.

[ blows ]

[ wailing continues ]

[ sobbing ] no.

Narrator: A few miles north...

Sergeant joe kenda

Is struggling with
his own personal battle.

Kenda:
I don't sleep well,

And I would often
slip out the front door

And be on my front porch
and smoke a cigarette

And think about
all the things I've done

And all the things I've seen
and cannot unsee.

[ pager beeps ]

Huh.

And now here we go again.

♪

Narrator:
Within the hour...

Kenda arrives on scene...

[ police radio chatter,
siren wailing ]

...And meets
with detective skip arms.

Hey, skip.
Evening, joe.

When I arrived on scene,

There was very little activity
going on.

There was no traffic
in the streets.

It was really very quiet.

So, what have we got?

We've got one
shooting victim,

Shot multiple times.

He left here
in the ambulance alive,

But we're not sure
what his status is now.

You got an I.D.?
Yes.

The officer says that
the victim is a 35-year-old male

Whose name is peter martinez.

He was shot in the front yard
of his own home.

Any witnesses?

Martinez' wife and kids
were in the house

At the time
of the shooting,

But they've gone to the hospital
with him in the ambulance.

That's about it.

They've already awakened

Several of
their direct neighbors,

All of whom say they didn't
see anything,

So the only thing left for us
there is the crime scene itself.

You can learn a lot
from a crime scene

If you listen and pay attention.

The crime scene
will speak to you.

It will whisper,
but it will speak to you.

Victim was lying here
when the medical arrived.

What's that?

Looks like
a crescent wrench?

Let's make sure we have
that dusted for prints.

Arms: It would appear
that the crescent wrench

Would have some role
in this situation.

It potentially could have
either been an offensive

Or a defensive weapon.

We also got some casings
over here.

How many?

Five total.

.25-caliber.

We also found a slug
in the yard, too.

Arms: The front yard
appeared to be trampled down.

So that indicated
that perhaps there was

Some kind of struggle
that may have occurred

On the yard
and then moved into the street.

Well, whatever happened
started right here.

My experience tells me
there's a confrontation.

Words get exchanged,
threats are made,

Things get out of hand,

And it ends with gunfire.

♪

[ indistinct arguing ]

Which hospital was the victim
transported to?

St. Francis.

Okay, skip. I'll meet you there.
Works for me.

So, for now,
we've learned all we can here.

♪

We need to respond to the
hospital where our victim is

To determine, "a,"
his condition,

And, more importantly, "b,"

That's where we believe
we're gonna find our witnesses.

Mr. Martinez was shot
five times in all --

Once in the shoulder,
chest, stomach,

And twice in the arm.

He's in surgery now,
but [sighs] it looks doubtful.

You know, another thing that
you should probably be aware of

Is that the medics said they
found him in his boxer shorts

When they first
picked him up.

Really?

The odds are he was
either getting ready for bed

Or was already in bed,

And when he was awakened
by something,

He came out in his underwear,

And whatever happened next
resulted in five holes

That he didn't have
a little while earlier.

Is his family around?

His wife and children
are in the lobby.

Alright. Thanks, doc.

So we encounter first
the wife of the victim, louise,

And she has two sons
are with her --

Peter jr. And eric.

Excuse me. I'm sergeant kenda.
This is detective arms.

I'm louise.

Do you think we could talk
to you for a minute

With you and your sons?

Well, um...

I'd prefer if they had
a little more time,

But I can talk to you.

Kenda: They're worried
about their father.

No point in even attempting
a conversation with them.

Could you tell us a little
bit about your relationship

With your husband?

Well, we aren't, um,
technically married,

But peter and I have been
together for over 15 years.

And everything was good
between you guys?

Yeah.
We had a good relationship.

We actually work together,

So we argue sometimes
but nothing serious.

Peter and louise
are both custodians

At a building downtown.

Doesn't pay a lot of money
and it's hard work,

But they get to work together,
and they enjoy that,

And it's something that louise
really is happy about

That she gets to spend her days

Working with the love
of her life.

So, what exactly happened
last evening?

Well, um...

Peter and I were working,
and we got home around 10:30.

They went in
to check on their boys,

And they then made
their way to bed.

[ sighs heavily ]
I'm exhausted.

What do we have going on
tomorrow, babe?

Um, eric's got baseball
in the afternoon,

And I'm meeting lucy
for lunch.

Alright. Well, I think
I'm just gonna read

Some stuff this weekend.

Woman:
Wake up, peter!

What the --
who the hell's that?

[ groaning ]
oh, this again.

He goes and opens the door...

♪

Peter! [ laughs ]

...And it's his sister
karen michaels...

What's up, brother?

You gonna let me
in or what?

...And her friend lucia,

And they are both
extremely intoxicated.

♪ hey, louise ♪

Let's have a drink!

They had been at a party,
and they came over there

To keep the party under way.

Peter and his sister
get along?

Sort of. I mean, karen can be
a real pain in the ass.

[ echoing laughter ]

Kenda: He was really sometimes
super annoyed with her

Because of her manners
and why she lived her life

The way she did,
of which he did not approve.

He thought she drank too much
and too often and so on.

There's always this back and
forth between he and his sister,

And now his sister's
at his front door.

At first, peter was annoyed,
but, after a while,

He started to loosen up
and relax.

I don't know what either one
of you are talking about.

I remember the old days.

No, you don't.

And they open some beers

And they turn on some music,

And they're talking and they're
actually enjoying themselves.

I hope they do
another block party.

I gotta take a leak.

♪ I'll be back ♪

[ laughter ]

Everything seemed
to be going well.

What's that song?

You can change it
if you want.

The stereo's
in junior's room.

Just try to be quiet.
He's sleeping.

♪

You want another?
Oh, yeah. You know me.

But, all of a sudden,
something happened.

Louise heard some type
of a commotion

In peter jr.'s room.

[ crying ]
peter, you ass [bleep]

Come on, lucia. Let's go.

Wait. Why?

I said come on.
Let's get the hell out of here.

What happened?
Karen, what's wrong?

Ask your damn husband!

Louise asked peter
what happened,

And his response was,
"oh, that's just karen.

Good riddance.
I'm glad she's gone."

They then went to bed.

[ inhales deeply ]

Not 30 minutes
after we laid down,

We, um -- we heard people
shouting outside.

Karen:
Come out, peter, you ass!

Peter!
Come outside, you jackass!

Damn it, karen!
I want to talk to you!

Louise looks out the window.

Get your ass out here,
you...

Kenda: She sees two cars --
a red car and a gray card.

And there's a bunch
of people out there,

And she doesn't know
who these people are.

What were they saying?

I don't know,
but they sounded upset.

So louise is gonna call 911
to report this problem.

Karen: Come out here, you ass!
You...

Peter!

Dispatcher: 911.
What's your emergency?

But before she can say a word...

Hi. There's --

[ gunshots ]

[ tires screech ]

So I dropped the phone,
and I ran outside.

[ tires screeching ]

The red car was gone,

And the gray one
was pulling away.

[ sobbing ]

And peter was just lying there
in the street, all alone.

Do you think karen
could have shot peter?

I don't think so.
I mean, it's her own brother.

Okay. You said
you saw a gray car.

Do you know
what type of car was?

Yeah, I think so.

Having this information at hand,

It's important for us
to try to find the gray car...

Sergeant kenda to dispatch.

...The occupants of the car...

I need to put out an apb.

♪

So we offer the description of
the suspect vehicle over the air

To all officers,
all points bulletin --

A suspect vehicle in what
probably is a fatal shooting.

Consider armed and dangerous.

[ police radio chatter ]

Narrator: Luckily...
[ siren wailing ]

...It doesn't take long
for an officer

To spot the vehicle in question.

31 to dispatch.
Dispatch to 31.

Got eyes on that possible
suspect vehicle.

Go ahead
and send me backup.

2000 block
of corona street.

[ siren wailing,
police radio chatter ]

We basically call it
a felony traffic stop.

Driver!

Turn off the car and drop
the keys out the window!

They fear that the occupants
are potentially involved

In a serious violent
felony crime.

Do it now!

So the driver
was directed to exit first.

♪

Driver, step out -- slowly!

♪

Keep your hands
where I can see 'em.

♪

He was a tall black male, which
didn't fit the descriptions.

Back up to the sound
of my voice! Do it now!

Passenger! Step out
of the car! Do it now!

♪

When the passenger steps
out of the car...

Officer:
Hands on your head.

...She is karen michaels,

Sister of the victim.

How convenient.

So now we do have the right car,

And we certainly have
the right people.

Now this situation
has become dangerous.

♪

We're investigating the shooting
of a father of two children,

Peter martinez,

And patrol officers
have just stopped a car

That was seen fleeing
from the scene...

Officer:
Driver, step out -- slowly!

...Containing an occupant
that was involved

In a disturbance
with the victim.

On your knees!

[ police radio chatter ]

You're being handled here
at gunpoint.

Don't do something stupid.

Don't move.

Arms: Because of the short time
frame between the shooting

And the contact
with this vehicle...

Alright. Stand up.

...The chances are very high

The occupants were involved
in the crime.

Put your hands
behind your back!

Do it now!

So they had to be treated

As potentially violent
felony suspects.

It's clear.

So the two occupants were
driven to the detective bureau.

♪

And once there, they were placed
in separate rooms.

[ sighs ]

So, what do you want to do?

Why don't you take karen?
I'll talk to this guy.

Works for me.

♪

This individual identifies
himself as hank michaels,

And he is
karen michaels' husband,

And they have this car
registered

In both of their names.

Is someone
gonna finally tell me

What the hell is going on?

I was actually hoping that
you'd be the one to do that.

Mann: We know karen
left the house upset.

Did she go home
and tell her husband

That she had this fight
with her brother?

And did he come back over
to the house in his gray car

To avenge his wife?

How'd you end up going
for a drive

With your wife
so early in the morning?

[ breathes deeply ]
man...

I was sleeping,

And karen came home
all worked up.

He says his wife woke him up
when she came home.

She said she got in a terrible
fight with her brother

And she wants him to drive her
to her mother's house.

And you didn't ask what went on
between her and peter?

No! They're always arguing
about something.

And, besides,
karen was drunk,

And I did not want
to get her going.

So I just...

Drove her
to her mother's house.

And as they were
in the act of doing that,

They're stopped by the police

And they got guns
pointed at 'em

And he doesn't know
what's going on.

So you never went
to peter's house at all?

No. Not at all.

So, there's hank's story.

Is that believable?
Well, maybe it is.

Think back to louise.

Louise says she sees karen
and some people.

If this guy is there
to defend his wife,

He's the one
knocking on the door.

Arms: So we try to find
a record for hank.

He doesn't have a record.
He's clean.

At face value,
there's no reason to believe

He's being deceptive to us.

So now our next step
is to want to talk with karen

And see where that takes us.

♪

[ banging ]
wake up, ms. Michaels.

[ sighs ]

What the hell
do you want?

I want to talk to you
about your brother.

Which brother?

Kenda: Karen michaels
is beyond drunk.

She's loaded,

And she couldn't hit the ground
with her hat.

Your brother peter --
peter martinez.

What about him?
He was shot five times.

Do you happen to know
who did that to him?

I ain't talkin'
until I get a lawyer.

Well, you're drunk, karen,

But you know enough
to keep your mouth shut

When you're in a jam,
and guess what, babycakes --

You are in a jam.

Alright. Well,
we're still gonna hold you

For the time being.

Whatever.

So have we gotten very far?
No.

We have her, which is useful,

But she has
nothing to say to us.

So now we need another pathway

To find out
who we're looking at.

[ bell tolls ]

Arms: So we felt that with
some time passing,

We would want to circle back

And see if either louise
knew anything new

Or if, by this point, either of
her sons were willing to talk.

Joe: Have you received
any word on your husband?

He went in
for another surgery,

So we're just here
to get something to eat

Before heading back.

We were wondering
if either one of your sons

Might be able to talk to us.

I really don't think
eric is,

But junior
could probably talk to you.

Junior!
Come here for a minute!

Peter jr. Is in high school.

We think he's our best shot
because he's a little older

And maybe
a little less emotional...

Do you want to have
a seat?

...And maybe
a little more honest.

Junior,
did you happen to see

Any of what happened
to your father last night?

Yeah.

Can you tell us what happened?

I was sleeping
in my bedroom

When my aunt karen
woke me up.

♪

Aunt karen?
What's going on?

How do you work
this thing?

They had long lengths
of speaker wire

Coming from the stereo
in the son's bedroom

To the speakers
in the living room area.

Peter jr. Says that
she wants to change the music

But she can't make
this thing operate.

Aunt karen!

Karen, what the hell
are you doing in here?

Damn it, karen, don't be
disrespecting my house!

It's not my fault
that your radio's crap.

Karen, get the hell out
of my son's room now.

Oh, shut up.
What you gonna do --

[ crying ]

And he slaps her, open-handed,
in the face hard.

You're always walking around
here drunk, asking me for money!

You don't respect no one!
Get out of here!

[ crying ]

Go to hell, peter,
you ass [bleep]

Peter jr.: She stormed
out of the room,

And my dad told me
to go back to sleep.

But...

A little while later,
something woke me up again.

Karen:
Wake up, peter!

He was awakened,
so he gets up in a haze.

Looks out the window.

He sees his aunt,
karen michaels.

Her children are with her.

Karen, what are you doing,
you crazy [bleep]?

And they are in an argument.

Did you see
what happened?

Well, I-I ran outside
and tried to help.

Dad! What's going on!?

Get the [bleep] off my property!
Whatever.

Man, [bleep] you, karen.
Get the [bleep] out of here.

Dad!
Junior, go get my gun!

And the kids says,
"I didn't know what he meant

Because we don't have a gun.

I guess he was trying
to bluff 'em."

Hey, hey, hey. Hey.
Calm down.

Calm down. Calm down.

Apparently, it worked,
because he saw karen

And the kids start retreating.

I went back inside
because I thought it was over,

But...It wasn't.

Peter jr. Says...

[ gunshots ]

[ tires screech ]
oh, my god! Dad!

...He heard several gunshots.

[ tires screech ]

As the gray car drove away,

Peter jr. Tells us that
he was able to see the person

That was in the passenger seat,

And that is most likely
our shooter.

♪

This is the break we need.

Did you recognize him?

Yes. I-I know it is.

This whole search process
and this investigation

Has been to find a good witness,

And we have just discovered
a star witness.

Now, who might this shooter be?

♪

[ police radio chatter ]

We're investigating the
shooting of peter martinez,

Who was gunned down
in front of his own home.

Oh, my god! Dad!

We've now learned
that his son peter jr...

[ tires screech ]
...Got a good look

At the shooter.

So, what's the guy's name?

Jake ferguson.

So, jake is our dude.

It isn't karen, and it's
certainly not her husband.

Who's jake ferguson?

He dates my cousin nina.

The information that peter jr.
Could give us about jake

Is he's a white male,
about 18 years old or so.

He's only been
in town a few weeks,

But everybody
classifies him as a bully,

And everybody knows
that jake always has a gun.

Do you know where
we could find this jake?

I think he's in the army
or something.

Thank you
for talking to us.

We'll let ourselves out.

Thank you.
Thank you.

♪

Kenda:
So we drive over to fort carson,

And we find out
that mr. Ferguson is living

And working on fort carson
as a private e1

In the united states army.

So we have to elicit
the cooperation

Of military police authorities,

And they snatch up
jake ferguson in a heartbeat.

Jake, I'm with the colorado
springs police department.

Do you know why I'm here?

I think so.

You can just see it in his eyes.
It's obvious that he's scared.

As someone who interviews
and interrogates people,

You need to gear
your questioning

Based on what you see
in order to be effective.

♪

Am I under arrest?
Well, not at the moment.

But I need to know
what happened last night.

[ breathes deeply ]

Okay.

I'll tell you everything.

He didn't hold back.

He really needed
to get this off his chest.

I was at my girlfriend,
nina's, house.

We had a few beers,
watched a movie.

Then I fell asleep
on the couch

When her brother rico
woke me up.

Jake! Jake! Jake!

Come on.
Get up. Get up, man.

What's going on?
Come on. We've got to go.

Where's nina?
She's already in the car.

We got to help my mom.
You got your gun?

Yeah, right here.
Alright, let's go.

Kenda:
Their brother rico tells jake

They're gonna go settle a fight

Between nina's mom
and her brother peter martinez.

He sees this as an opportunity
to be an enforcer,

To go help the family defend
their honor, so to speak.

♪

Who went to peter's house?

Karen was hammered,
so I drove her car.

Nina, rico, and their other
sister, marta,

Were in another car.

♪

Peter! Come out here!
I want to talk to you!

You ain't gonna hit
our mom!

Get your ass out here,
uncle peter!

Jake: I kind of hung back
by the car

While they went up to the house
to confront peter.

Come out here!

Peter jerked the door open,
already in a rage...

Karen, what the [bleep]
you doing, you crazy [bleep]?!

You a big man hitting a woman,
uncle peter?

Get the [bleep] off my property!

...And is screaming and yelling

And using obscenities toward
karen michaels and her children.

Man, learn to control
your kids!

You don't get to tell me
what to do with my kids!

I'm gonna kick
[bleep] peter!

Beat his ass, mom!

What the [bleep]?
Get off me, karen!

Jake says a scuffle begins,

Followed by them falling down

And rolling around in the dirt
in the front yard.

[ grunting ]
get up, pete!

Kick his ass, mom.
[ laughs ]

Get the [bleep]
off my property.

Jake said that karen actually
pulled peter's pants off,

Leaving him
just in his underwear,

And then she started laughing
at him.

[bleep] you, karen.

Touch me again.

Do something!
Hey, d-dad!

Come on!
What's going on?

Junior, go get my gun!

Get in the [bleep] truck!
You don't want me to drive?

Jake: So they started
heading back to the cars.

I go to get in the front,

But karen insisted
on driving.

[ engine sputters ]

[ tires screech ]

[ engine sputters ]

Come on, damn it!

Because karen was drunk,

She was having difficulty
getting the car started.

[ engine sputters ]
peter: Get the hell out of here!

What's wrong with you?!

Yo, back off!
Back off the car!

What, are you deaf?!
Are you drunk?! It's stupid!

I said, "back off the car,"
old man.

What did you call me?

Think you're tough,
white boy?

Jake says
that he then sees peter

Reach for his waistband

And pull out an object

He said was long and shiny.

[ distorted voice ]

[ gun cocks ]

Jake panics.

♪

[ gunshots ]

♪

...And empties that gun
into peter martinez

From a range of 3 or 4 feet.

And every bullet he fires
hits him.

Oh, damn. Oh, damn.

Give me -- give me the gun.
Give me the gun.

It's not like
he wasn't asking for it.

[ engine sputters ]

Even though she was still
pretty intoxicated,

The fact that she didn't care

Whether or not her brother
just got shot

Is pretty callous.

What did karen do
with the gun?

I don't know. I think she
has it somewhere in the house.

Well, jake, I appreciate you
being honest with me,

But I'm gonna have to
place you under arrest.

Go ahead and cuff him.

♪

[ pager beeps ]

[ sighs ]

Peter martinez has been
pronounced dead at the hospital.

So now it's no longer
attempted murder,

It's just murder.

Narrator: After
jake ferguson's confession,

Investigators go to the house
of karen michaels

In search of the murder weapon.

We find a .25-caliber
semiautomatic pistol

That's obviously
been wiped clean,

But ballistics says
this is the weapon

That fired the shots
that killed peter martinez.

Arms: Jake was charged
with second-degree murder.

Karen was charged with accessory
to a second-degree murder.

And then the district attorney
ultimately made the decision

To take this case
to a grand jury.

And after the case was presented
to the grand jury,

They came back
with a no true bill.

Meaning that, in their opinion,
there is insufficient evidence

To prove
beyond a reasonable doubt

Jacob ferguson engaged
in criminal behavior.

So mr. Ferguson was released
without charges,

And, therefore,
so was karen michaels,

And the matter was closed.

You know, it's the kind
of thing where...

Really, there was no justice --

No justice for peter,
no justice for his family --

Because nobody had
to be accountable

For what happened to him.

Had peter
gone back in the house,

Closed the door, you know,
would he still be alive today?

Just makes you wonder.

It was just
a sad set of circumstances

That cost somebody their life.

♪

Mix old family roots,

Loss of control
of your emotions,

And alcohol, and it often
results in violent deaths.

That's a terribly sad thing
in the case of peter martinez.

Narrator: Coming up,

An unhinged madman
threatens the safety

Of an entire
church congregation.

You all will die today!

This is st. Mary's cathedral.

How could this have happened
in here?

♪

[ bell tolling,
choir vocalizing ]

Ryder: In January of 1996,
the church service was going on.

It was Sunday morning, downtown.

How are you?

Near the end
of the first service,

An usher, ron meredith,
is passing the collection plate

Like they do every Sunday.

[ choir singing, organ playing ]

But a man
is sitting in the back

And just seemed
a little out of it.

These people don't know
what the hell they're doing.

[ music continues ]

Give it to me!
Excuse me, sir.

That's not yours.
Give it to me, damn it!

Give me that!

There was a lot of confusion.
Sir, back off.

Ron is able to grab it,
and the deranged man

Told everybody...

I am the lord jesus christ,
and you all will die today!

That made people
very, very nervous.

Honey, call the police.

♪

Narrator:
Later that morning,

Lieutenant joe kenda
is on his way into work.

Dispatcher:
Dispatch to x-ray 1.

Radio cracks and says,
"x-ray 1,"

My call sign.

Go for x-ray 1.

Report of a shooting
on bijou street.

Redirect immediately.

Copy that. I'm on the way.

Ooh? On a Sunday morning,
when this town

Is either in church
or still asleep?

Pretty unusual.

[ tires screech, siren wailing ]

♪

[ bell tolling ]

[ wailing continues ]

I arrived at the address
before I realized

This was st. Mary's church.

It's a huge church,
beautiful building.

Been there for many, many years.

My parents got married there
in 1938.

Good morning, lieutenant.
Morning.

What in the world
is going on here?

Come inside. Take a look.

[ police radio chatter,
indistinct conversations ]

♪

So I walk in that church,
as I have done many times.

I'm directed to the men's room.

Whoa.

♪

This is st. Mary's cathedral.

How could this have happened
in here?

Narrator: Less than an hour
before lieutenant kenda

Arrived on scene...

[ people screaming ]

...Chaos was just beginning
to unfold at st. Mary's.

Hello. 911?

Dispatcher: 911.
What's your emergency?

A man just tried to steal
from my church,

And then he threatened
to kill us,

And I'm afraid he's going
to try to come back.

We'll send units
immediately.

Okay. Thank you.

[ breathing heavily ]

[ siren wailing ]

Narrator: C.S.P.D. Officers
immediately respond,

Including patrolman
robert benjamin.

In January of '96,

I was in the patrol division.

Who here put in the call?

Yeah, right here.
We did.

Is the suspect
still inside?

No. He fled.

He came in, tried to take
our collection plate,

And threatened everybody.

Where's the rest
of the congregation?

They're inside.

Okay.
Can you describe this guy?

Well, he's a pretty big guy.

Mr. Merriman told me
he was kind of a stocky build,

About 180 pounds.

Ryder: As ron is talking
to the police,

Something interesting happened.

Yeah, I think
I know this guy.

His name's dearsmith --
richard dearsmith.

You sure about that?

Yeah. Things happened
pretty quickly in there,

But I'm pretty sure it's him.

So not only are they just
looking for a description,

They're looking
for richard dearsmith.

Give me a moment, please.

Golf 85 to dispatch.

Can I get an apb
on a white male,

6'2", 180 pounds,

Named richard dearsmith?

Narrator: When officers
call in the suspect's name...

Dispatcher:
Patrol, did you say dearsmith?

Narrator: ...It immediately
raises red flags.

That's right.

You have a pen handy?

So they find out
that mr. Dearsmith

Has a rather sensitive
criminal record.

So, apparently, our suspect

Has been arrested 17 times
in 3 different states.

Two of those were for
assaulting an officer.

So you take that in sum,

And this not only
is a disturbed person,

But he has an inherent violence
about him,

And he's physically
capable of carrying it out.

We have his name
and description out there.

We're looking for him.

You call us
if anything else happens.

Okay. Thank you so much.

Ryder:
The police leave the scene

And start looking for
the suspect in the neighborhood.

[ siren wailing ]
kenda: He resides in the area.

Witnesses in
his neighborhood report

They saw dearsmith
leave his house,

Carrying his large knife, which
they say is routine for him.

He's always ranting out loud
and talking to himself

Or to invisible people,

And they are
very frightened of him.

He's obviously deeply disturbed.

Narrator: While officers are
busy canvassing the area,

The congregation picks up
where it left off.

[ organ playing ]

Man: A reading from
the first letter of st. Paul

To the corinthian
brothers and sisters

"strive eagerly for the greatest
spiritual gifts.

Love is patient."

Ryder: At that time....

Man: "love is kind."

...Richard dearsmith returns
to the church,

And this time...

[ speaking indistinctly ]

...He's got a knife in a sheath
on his belt.

[ speaking indistinctly ]

Aaaaah!

[ people murmuring ]

♪

Dearsmith is something
kind of interesting

And maybe unexpected.

But he went straight
to the bathroom.

♪

♪

Hey! Hey!

Let me out of here!

[ banging on door ]

The people who really
deserve a lot of credit --

The quick-thinking ushers.

We need to get the police
back out here.

Come on! Hey!
Get me out of this room!

Narrator: Within moments,

Officer benjamin and company
are back on the scene.

God will punish you for this!

He's been going crazy
in there.

Ugh! Hey! Hey!

Does he have
any weapons on him?

Yeah, he's got a knife.

Get me out of this room!

Lots of thoughts going
through my head,

Knowing we have a combative
suspect in front of us.

Here. Get these guys
out of here.

Get me out of this room!

It was not the first time
that he had been involved

In potential violence
towards police.

Hey! Hey!

The three officers
go to the door...

Somebody get me out of here!

...Unlock the door...

Hands up, richard!

Keep your hands up,
richard.

Hands up!
Don't do that, richard.

The ushers hear somebody say,
"don't do it, buddy.

Don't do it."

Richard, no!
Don't do it, richard! Stop!

♪

Kenda: The church services
continue after the dust settles

From the emotion of this
event...

Aaaaaaah!

...And it's no more
than a few minutes

After the officers leave...

Richard dearsmith comes back
in the church.

He has a knife, and he's locked
in a bathroom.

Hands up, richard!
Hands up!

The police open the door,
guns drawn, because

They didn't know
what they were going to find.

Dearsmith: Hey!
Richard, don't!

[ gunshot ]
[ gasps ]

The ushers heard a gunshot,
and they thought,

"god, what is going on
in there?"

♪

Kenda: That's when
the officers come out.

And on the radio...

We need a medical down
at the church right now.

...A shooting, officer involved.

As I walk in,

I see richard dearsmith
lying dead on the floor...

With a single gunshot wound
in the upper left chest.

You stand there for a moment
in that doorway

And you look in this men's room

And you think,
"why would that happen?

We need to find that out."

[ siren wailing ]

Narrator: Shortly after kenda
examines the crime scene,

An investigator from the
district attorney's office

Arrives to assist.

On any officer-involved
shooting,

The district attorney's office
is called immediately.

Definitely still a lot
to figure out.

Okay. Well, I'm gonna need to
talk to everybody involved.

Of course.

The district attorney's office
conduct

All police-officer-involved
shootings

Independently
of the police department.

They are investigating why
is it necessary for the police

To use great force
to effect his arrest?

So we teamed all
of our investigators

And detectives up together

And started interviewing
all the potential witnesses.

Narrator:
The eyewitness interviews

Help investigators piece
together exactly what happened

When dearsmith returned
to the church.

When the ushers at the church
saw dearsmith come back...

... With a knife....

[ speaking indistinctly ]

Aaaaaaah!

[ people murmuring ]

...They were scared.

♪

As they had the opportunity
to lock him in the bathroom...

Hey! God will punish you for
this! Hey! Let me out!

...They found the miracle
they were praying for. But.

Narrator: When officer benjamin
responded for the second time...

Oh, god.

...He knew the suspect had
a history of assaulting police.

I was worried about
the safety of the parishioners

That were in the church.

He's been in there going crazy.
He's got a knife.

Let's go this way.

[ dearsmith shouting
indistinctly ]

Hey! Hey!

At the time, all three officers
had their hands on their guns.

They were ready for anything.

They knew he was armed
at this point.

Somebody get me out of here!

Get me out of this room!

Police! Hands up!
Hands up, richard!

Keep your hands up,
richard.

Dearsmith has the knife.

It's a 10-inch-blade
bowie knife.

Very large knife.

Turn around, richard.

Turn around.
Walk backward toward me.

Turn around.

He's not complying.

He's just kind of staring right
through us.

Turn around, richard.

Richard, turn around and
slowly walk back toward me.

♪

Good.

Keep your hands visible.

Okay. Back up toward me.

♪

Very good. Hands up.

Keep your hands up
where I can see 'em.

Nice and slow.
Good. Good.

Hands up.
Do not put that hand down!

Do not touch that knife,
richard!

There's something called
a continuum of force,

And this is how police officers
are trained.

You confront someone.

You announce to them
that they're under arrest.

If they physically resist you,

You are authorized by law to use

Whatever force is necessary
to overcome that resistance.

Don't do that, richard.
Do not touch that knife!

Stop!

I am the lord jesus christ!

Those people don't know
what the hell they're doing.

Oh, god.
Let me out!

Richard, do not touch
that knife!

Don't do it, richard!
Richard, no!

Richard, stop!

He reached for the knife.

♪

[ gunshot ]

At that particular point,
I knew I had no other option.

♪

It's a very difficult thing
to take a human life.

It is.

Policemen are trained.

Officer benjamin followed
his training to the tee.

He handled that perfectly
under the worst

Possible circumstances.

But it is a devastating
emotional effect on the officer.

It wasn't till after
everything had calmed down

That I started to think
about what had transpired.

You know, just playing
over and over in your head,

And you start to sometimes
second-guess yourself.

"well, what if I'd have
done this different?"

Martin:
In this particular case,

The ruling from
the district attorney

Was that the police officer
was justified

In using deadly force
against mr. Dearsmith.

No charges were filed.

And the matter was closed.

And mr. Dearsmith
was left to a higher court.

Benjamin:
You never forget it.

Quite frankly, it's --
it's tough to -- to sleep.

You know, it just plays
continually in your head.

And you eventually
come to the conclusion

That you had to do
what you had to do

And it was necessary,

And, you know, you just
move on from that,

But you never forget.

Kenda: I was very fortunate, in
all of my years as a policeman,

Even though I displayed
my weapon probably 20,000 times,

I never pulled a trigger,

Never once.

We're in the business
of saving people,

Not killing them.

Officers
try anything to avoid it.

And they suffer sometimes
for the rest of their days

If they're called upon to do it.