I've seen maybe a dozen of these episodes and I'm impressed. All of them are interesting but be warned many of them are not uplifting. I find I can only watch them sporadically because often it's a downer.....but that's real. Nothing is glamorized here; you see what it's like to be a homicide detective in some of the toughest parts of big cities.
Some of the cities that are prevalent in these stories include Memphis, Dallas, Miami and Detroit. I've also seen Kansas City, Cincinnati and a few other places. no matter the city, the stories are fairly similar - somebody committed murder, a few suspects try to lie their way out of it, some finally admit it, but some cases remain unsolved. There are not always satisfying endings because some cases simply are too tough to solve or police don't have enough evidence to convict the apparent killer.
We also learn that being a homicide cop requires a number of things most of us don't have, and you better be really dedicated to the job or you won't last long. My hat's off to these people, who are trying to see justice served. If you want to get a taste of of what it's like being a cop in mostly black or Hispanic neighborhoods, this is your show. Many of the police or black or Hispanic, themselves. All of them are interesting. For those who will never come close to living in neighborhoods shown in this series, it will open your eyes to a violent world..
Note: since I can't find this particular episode listed here on IMDb, I've tacked in on to the general review of the TV program. This episode was titled "The Wrong Man/Five Points Payback."
'Another Sad Story'
That is how Sgt. Tony Mullins, lead detective, sums up "The Wrong Man" case in which an innocent man is shot to death. He wasn't the target, but the killer missed and hit him instead. Mullins and his peers see a lot of this kind of thing: "another sad story" as people's lives are snuffed out routinely, many times over trivial instances.
This shooting took place at a busy intersection in Memphis, Tenn., and the police have a hard time in the beginning collecting evidence. That's because it's raining out and getting worse. A lot of evidence is being washed away so time is especially critical. Witnesses say a gray Chevy Caprice was seen driving away after the shooting.
Once the cops find the car, a lot more progress is made and eventually the case becomes a manhunt for two brothers: Johnny "Main" Peterson and Sammy "Pookie" Peterson. It takes over three weeks for them to be found, the key help in the case being their sister, "Diamond."
The second case in this episode is in Dallas, Texas, where police get a 911 call about a shooting in a parking lot of an apartment complex. Two men are found shot: one is dead and the other rushed to the hospital. Soon, it's related that the latter will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Who shot them and why? Det. Dale Lundberg and his crew investigate. The dead man is Sabas Vargas, a Mexican national and father of two. The case, in a nutshell, winds up being about drug running up to Nashville, Tenn. Bad blood between a couple of guys over a girlfriend - not drugs - is, allegedly, the reason for the bloodshed.
A key tip in this case comes from another cop working the Narcotics Division who hears about the Vargas shooting, sees the Tennessee plate son the van in which the men were shot, and puts two-and-two together.
Here's the bad news. As of the end of the show, the killers were still on the loose. This case hadn't been solved.
Some of the cities that are prevalent in these stories include Memphis, Dallas, Miami and Detroit. I've also seen Kansas City, Cincinnati and a few other places. no matter the city, the stories are fairly similar - somebody committed murder, a few suspects try to lie their way out of it, some finally admit it, but some cases remain unsolved. There are not always satisfying endings because some cases simply are too tough to solve or police don't have enough evidence to convict the apparent killer.
We also learn that being a homicide cop requires a number of things most of us don't have, and you better be really dedicated to the job or you won't last long. My hat's off to these people, who are trying to see justice served. If you want to get a taste of of what it's like being a cop in mostly black or Hispanic neighborhoods, this is your show. Many of the police or black or Hispanic, themselves. All of them are interesting. For those who will never come close to living in neighborhoods shown in this series, it will open your eyes to a violent world..
Note: since I can't find this particular episode listed here on IMDb, I've tacked in on to the general review of the TV program. This episode was titled "The Wrong Man/Five Points Payback."
'Another Sad Story'
That is how Sgt. Tony Mullins, lead detective, sums up "The Wrong Man" case in which an innocent man is shot to death. He wasn't the target, but the killer missed and hit him instead. Mullins and his peers see a lot of this kind of thing: "another sad story" as people's lives are snuffed out routinely, many times over trivial instances.
This shooting took place at a busy intersection in Memphis, Tenn., and the police have a hard time in the beginning collecting evidence. That's because it's raining out and getting worse. A lot of evidence is being washed away so time is especially critical. Witnesses say a gray Chevy Caprice was seen driving away after the shooting.
Once the cops find the car, a lot more progress is made and eventually the case becomes a manhunt for two brothers: Johnny "Main" Peterson and Sammy "Pookie" Peterson. It takes over three weeks for them to be found, the key help in the case being their sister, "Diamond."
The second case in this episode is in Dallas, Texas, where police get a 911 call about a shooting in a parking lot of an apartment complex. Two men are found shot: one is dead and the other rushed to the hospital. Soon, it's related that the latter will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Who shot them and why? Det. Dale Lundberg and his crew investigate. The dead man is Sabas Vargas, a Mexican national and father of two. The case, in a nutshell, winds up being about drug running up to Nashville, Tenn. Bad blood between a couple of guys over a girlfriend - not drugs - is, allegedly, the reason for the bloodshed.
A key tip in this case comes from another cop working the Narcotics Division who hears about the Vargas shooting, sees the Tennessee plate son the van in which the men were shot, and puts two-and-two together.
Here's the bad news. As of the end of the show, the killers were still on the loose. This case hadn't been solved.