Original subtitles

They will never get used to the sound of a gun firing.

It's a really horrible noise.

So sudden.

Final. What? I can't hear a word you're saying.

Talking about gunfire. Oh, Bob, I have mercy on the police.

Oh, thank you.

Now what?

Gunfire. It's just so hard to watch people practicing to shoot other people.

But... Policemen do have to be prepared for anything.

Yes, they do.

Is he our assignment?

Yes.

Hello?

What?

What, just now?

Are you sure?

No, hang on. Hang on.

All right, go.

Three, eight, eight.

All right, I got it.

Hey, a snitch on the Pittman case finally came through. Saw Pittman moving

a house on Sonoma.

Now, what is that?

That's Southside, right?

Yeah, it's a real bad neighborhood.

Yeah, so what else was new? All right, I'm in. Well, get me a warrant, all

right? Okay. Big man, let's move. Jeez, I'm with you, man. You want to do this

tonight? Of course I want to do it tonight. You think I want this guy

us again?

I'll wake the day after lovers.

388 Sonoma Drive.

Calvin Pittman.

I'll see you guys back at the precinct. Okay. Let's go catch a bad guy.

It's a dangerous world out there, baby.

And a policeman like Frank puts his life on the line every day.

And if he's not careful, the most dangerous person out there could be...

When you walk down the road,

heavy burden, heavy load,

And I will walk with you.

I'll walk with you till the sun don't even shine.

Walk with you every time I tell you I'll walk

with you.

Believe me, I'll walk with you.

Where have you been?

It's almost five.

We've been up all night trying to get a warrant. We finally got Pittman. The

meth dealer.

Yep. We're going to catch this creep final.

You couldn't get him tomorrow?

Why does everybody keep saying that? Whatever happened to striking while the

iron's hot?

Whatever happened to sleeping while your wife is tired?

Justice never sleeps, you know that.

My husband, the superhero.

I just don't want to catch up to you. You've been working so much lately.

I'm fine.

Look, I gotta go. I didn't want you to worry. Listen, I'm gonna make the call

and then I got some paperwork. Tell Brian that I'll be home in time for

basketball practice, alright?

I'll tell him.

Be careful.

Alright, I love you.

We got it.

Alright, let's move.

On target.

3 -8 -8.

Check

it

out. Makes me want to play baseball all day.

All -American guy.

Frank, don't do it. Look, there's a baseball in the grass. Something isn't

right.

We're in. We're in.

Put your hands on your head and come out. We can see you.

Coming in from the rear.

God, I shot a kid.

Paul, I shot a kid.

Call an ambulance.

Go!

911,

what is the nature of your emergency?

Hello? Hello? What is your emergency?

Hello?

What happened here? Someone said there were gunshots?

Come on in, Reverend Davis.

I'm Detective Paul Daniels.

We've met before at the outreach programs.

Oh, yes, I remember.

Where's Tim Wall?

He's been shot, Reverend Davis.

How is he? Is he alive?

Yes.

So what was it, another drive -by? Well, he was home alone.

He'd like to get in touch with his parents if he could help us.

Oh, yes, his father's deceased.

His mother works at the Del Amo Bakery on 3rd, Madeline Griffin.

It won't be easy finding her.

She's out making deliveries right about now.

Can I see him? Let us through the hallway, please. Here we go.

What happened

here?

We had information that there was a drug dealer operating at this address.

We have a warrant.

You tell your people that this boy better make it.

You tell them that they better wear their knee bones to dust praying for

Frank, is this the right house?

Yes.

388. It was on the warrant.

Well, something ain't right.

Because there's no pitman, there's no lab, and there's no drugs.

And you just shot a kid.

I didn't know there was a kid in here, Paul.

All I saw was a gun.

You saw that phone in the dark. It looked like a gun, didn't it?

You're going to have to talk to Internal Affairs.

Hey, so you entered.

There was movement.

Yes. It was dark and I saw a gun.

What you thought was a gun.

Right. I saw what I thought was a gun. Because it was actually a phone.

It was the phone that he used to call 911.

Yeah. I know what you're thinking.

My informant told me 388 Sonoma Drive.

That's where we went.

My informant has never been wrong.

Pittman was obviously tipped off. Frank, no drugs.

No lab equipment was found anywhere in the house.

So they cleaned out?

The drug dealers moved out in the middle of the night, and then suddenly the

woman and her son moved right in?

Yeah.

Look, you know, maybe he was living there for a while.

You don't know these people.

You know, they bounce around from house to house. They move in with friends and

second cousins.

If you look into that woman, the mother of the kid, you'll see that she was

either a...

girlfriend or an aunt or something, but there's definitely a connection.

Look, I feel horrible about this kid. I do. I'm sick about it, but it's not my

fault. This kid had no business being in the home of a drug dealer.

I followed procedure.

I did nothing wrong.

Frank, you took a leave two years ago after

your daughter died?

Yeah.

But you only took two weeks.

I was miserable.

I felt it was good for me to get back to work.

Was it?

Yeah.

Good.

And that's about the time that you joined the Narcotic Task Force, right?

That's right.

Detective, I'm going to have to ask for your badge and your gun.

You're on leave until... further notice.

I'll be in touch.

Hello?

We have nothing to say to you. Quit calling!

Was that a reporter, Mom?

I didn't call somebody.

Hi. Hey. You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

It's going to be fine. Why are you home from school?

Well, I was worried about you.

Everybody's talking.

Yeah.

I wasn't asking.

It wasn't a dad.

Yeah.

Put your hands on your head and come out and we can figure it. We've got blades

around it.

Yeah, yeah, of course it was.

Mrs. Griffin, do you have any comment on what's happened to your son?

Excuse me. Please, no, I have to get to my baby.

Please, none of you guys.

Madeline, I'll be right along.

My name is Reverend Austin Davis from the New Hope Central Church, and I have

prepared statement that I would like to read on behalf of Mrs. Griffin and the

rest of the African -American community.

Once again, a terrible injustice has been perpetrated on our neighborhood by

Southvale Police Department.

And Mrs. Griffin will not rest until she has gotten to the bottom of it. And the

black community will not rest either.

Reverend Davis, it's been reported that Jamal Griffin was home alone at the time

of the shooting.

I know the police will try to blame this tragedy on the fact that Mrs. Griffin

was not at home this morning.

Madeline Griffin is a single mother, a good mother.

She does all she can to take care of her child. This was an 11 -year -old boy

who was taught to stay inside while his mother was at work because the streets

outside were too dangerous.

Apparently, now it's not even safe to be in your own bedroom, especially if

you're black.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some planning to do.

Reverend, do you expect any violence from the community?

Reverend Davis, my name is Monica.

Oh, Monica. I wanted you to know that Jamal has made it through the surgery,

he's still in critical condition.

And you're with the hospital?

Actually, I'm with the community relations office of the police

I'd like to help in any way I can.

You are not trying to help us, young lady. You're trying to public relations

this thing away, and I'm here to tell you that it is not going away.

And neither am I.

Great.

May I come in? What now?

Frank, I need you to tell me again the address that your informant gave you.

388 Sonoma Drive.

Okay, now that's the address you went to this morning, but is that the address

that the informant gave you?

Yes.

Calvin Pittman was apprehended about half an hour ago at 388 Sonoma Circle.

It's about three blocks from the Griffins.

Jamal Griffin has nothing to do with drugs.

He went to the wrong house, Frank.

Oh, no, Frank.

No.

Sonoma Circle?

Circle?

Yeah. Wait till I get my hands on this guy.

You're an informant? Yeah, he gave me the address. He said 388 Sonoma Drive. I

even wrote it down.

Where, Frank?

I don't know. I stuck it in my pants or threw it away. I don't remember.

Well, maybe... He'll turn up somewhere.

Let me kill this snitch who's screwing us up.

Frank.

You could have double -checked the address before you got the warrant. I've

trying to nail this guy Pittman for over a year.

He's as slippery as they come.

He knows how to pack up and go mobile at the drop of a hat, and I wasn't going

to lose him this time.

Look, Andrew, I... I don't know what you have to do, but I need this to be over

with.

Frank, I got a feeling this is just getting started.

Lord, you know that I have turned to your word for comfort many times in my

life.

Lord, I ask your countenance to shine up.

Father, can you understand that I have no more cheeks within the slab?

That I have no more love for thy enemy.

And I am tired.

So, I am moving on with my plan.

Unless you can show me a better one.

He will, baby.

He will.

It's one of my favorites.

Thank you.

It's not really a lullaby.

But when he was a baby, I used to sing it every night before he went to sleep.

Of course, that was a long time ago.

It seems like yesterday.

I'm Monica.

Madeline.

Reverend Davis.

He speaks so highly of you and Jamal.

The Reverend is a wonderful man.

He's been almost like a father to Jamal.

The Reverend taught Jamal how to make those shadow puppets, you know, with a

flashlight.

And Jamal started making little puppet shows for all the kids at the Sunday

school.

You make out the shape and do the voices.

It's the quietest I've ever seen him.

I've been singing and praying and singing again and praying again.

It's the only thing I know to do.

I think prayer is the best thing a person can do.

You must see a lot of powerful people.

I'm looking at the hospital and such.

I don't work for the hospital, Mrs. Griffin.

I'm a community relations officer with the police department.

I just come in here to see if there was anything that you need right now.

But if you'd rather I go, I'll understand.

No, you listen to me.

He set me up.

Now, when you find that, you tell him I'm looking for him.

Get you guys up?

No, thanks, Captain.

Listen,

Frankie, I don't care what anybody says.

You are a good cop, and that shooting was an accident.

Thanks, Captain.

But I can't talk anymore.

Frank, look.

Maybe we should talk about it.

There's nothing to talk about.

I got a bad tip. It happens.

Maybe you heard him wrong.

I heard him right.

Something went wrong.

The kid got shot.

Maybe that baseball in the backyard should have been a tip -off, huh?

You were there. You saw it too.

What are you getting at?

I don't know. I'm just wondering what we could have done differently.

You mean what I could have done?

I was the first one through that door, not you guys.

And I know what I saw.

Okay.

We all know it was an accident.

We know that, Frank.

But the more important thing is, why did it happen?

If there's something going on with you, you gotta deal with it.

Too many good cops end up in the bathroom with their guns in their mouth

they didn't deal with it.

This is great.

I'll tell you, I never thought that I would hear the speech from you guys.

But I'll tell you, I'm not buying it for a second.

You know what the truth of the matter is?

You guys don't give a rip about my mental health.

All you care about is that preacher and all the trouble you think he's going to

make.

What harm would it do to apologize?

For what?

Frank,

just diffuse things a little.

Follow your sword.

This Reverend Davis, he's going to play the race card.

This whole thing could blow up in our faces.

I was just doing my job, and you guys know it.

Okay.

You know, I at least thought that my team would back me up on that.

Let him go. Let him go.

Ah, a new volunteer.

Welcome.

We've got flyers to print, posters to paint, phones to answer. Well, I didn't

come to volunteer.

My name is Ted, and I'm looking for a church that knows how to worship God.

Oh, if you want to see faith in action, you've come to the right place, Ted.

Oh, yes, Jamal Griffith. I heard all about this.

Yes, that we're taking our cars to the streets and demand an anthem.

Gonna make the police department feel the heat.

No justice, no peace.

Do you know what this flyer really does?

It paints the target on anybody in a blue uniform with a badge.

Nowhere on this flyer do I advocate violence, but this church will be

instrumental in making a difference around here.

Well, then I guess I will volunteer because I'd like to make a difference

here, too

What's

that

3 .30 in the morning.

They want me to apologize.

Who?

The guy's apartment.

Well, maybe you should.

Why won't anyone believe how it happened?

Maybe because how it happened isn't as important as why it happened.

What is that supposed to mean?

It was an accident!

It's just that ever since Lisa... No!

You haven't been the same, Frank.

And it scares me to see how angry you get on the job.

You think this is my fault? Of course... It's not.

You think I killed that kid on purpose?

No, I don't.

Mom, Dad, what's wrong? What's all the yelling about?

Go back to sleep.

Dad, what's wrong?

Nothing.

Come on, honey. Why don't you go and get some milk?

Wait, let me put this on.

Call 911.

Don't panic.

Oh, Brian.

Brian. Brian, it's going to be okay.

It's going to be okay.

Hello, 911.

What is the nature of your emergency?

That guy's got all that hair to cover that bed.

Why don't you go to the car?

Hey, preacher, how you doing? You know, somebody threw a brick through our

window last night.

No doubt somebody who's been listening to you.

I do not advocate violence.

No, just revenge.

Well, at least your son can walk out of this hospital today.

Look, I was just doing my job.

I had no idea there was a kid there. An innocent child lies on his deathbed

upstairs, man, and all you can say is, I didn't know.

He was cowering in a corner, unable to protect himself, and you didn't know.

Hey, my dad didn't do anything wrong.

It's the blind defending the blind.

Who the hell do you think you're talking to?

Frank, come on. You're not supposed to be talking to anybody. Let's go.

Yeah, that's right. Just walk away from the truth, Frank. Pretend it never

happened.

You know what?

You're not interested in the truth.

All you care about is causing a commotion and making a name for

I'm making a name for myself.

That's right.

Oh, look who's calling the kettle black.

Even a city hall whitewash is not going to clear your name, Frank McCovey.

Careful there, preacher.

You never know what a stressed out, hot -tempered police officer is capable of

doing. Frank, stop.

Don't threaten me, McCovey.

You have no idea who you are dealing with.

And you have no idea who you're dealing with.

You want to put your church in the headlines, you do it on somebody else's

You better watch yourself. Oh, I'll be watching.

And so will a couple of hundred other community activists.

They're marching downtown with me tonight. Have fun. You might want to

family home, Frank.

Dr. Francis, please report to him. Dr.

Francis, please report to him today.

Beverly. Are you staying strong, Mellon?

But I just keep thinking, what if Jamal needs something and can't say the words?

The community is going to speak for Jamal.

We're marching on City Hall tonight.

It's time this town understands that we're not going to sit by while our

children are victimized by the police anymore.

Monica.

Reverend, she's... Oh, I know who she is.

And I know why she's here.

She's trying to help the police build a case against you. Or make you think that

this follows some terrible misunderstanding.

Or your own negligence.

Well, it's not going to work.

The truth is going to come out this time.

Or return after this woman is gone.

I don't know what to believe.

I know you work for the police.

But there's something about you, Monica, that just makes me feel better when

you're around.

Madam.

I believe that all things, even something terrible, like what has

Jamal, can be turned into something for good.

When people who love God ask him to change their circumstances.

And here we have been, you and I, praying together for two days.

Whatever our differences may be, there can be no doubt that we both love God

and trust him.

And whatever the world is telling us to do, I think that God...

wants us to stay together and keep on praying.

Yes.

So do I.

You're leaving?

I can't be the benefit of the doubt.

The shooting could have happened the way you said it did. That's how it did

happen. Then I saw you with Reverend Davis, and then I knew.

Knew what?

I did laundry last night.

I found this in the pocket of your jeans.

It's the address that you wrote down from the informant.

I mean, this proves my case.

388 Sonoma Circle.

I could have let it just wash away like a good cop's wife, but I can't.

I just can't. I guess the one child is dying tonight because you just had to be

a superman.

I'm sure I had the right address.

But why didn't you double -check it?

I don't know.

Yes.

You do.

Brian and I will be at my sister's.

Daddy's here, honey.

Daddy's here.

Daddy's here.

God, I love you and I miss you so much.

God, I know this is not good.

I know you'll probably never forgive me, but I can't.

I don't know what else to do.

God, I'm sorry.

There's a wind coming up.

What? There's a wind coming.

It's going to blow that envelope away.

And Jan's never going to know why you did this.

Although I don't think you even know why yourself.

I shot a kid.

What's so hard to figure out?

You can start with the part where you keep asking yourself over and over and

over again.

What was that voice?

Why didn't I listen to it that morning?

It's that voice that whispers somewhere in your gut.

Don't do this, Frank.

There's a baseball lying in the grass. Something isn't right.

How the hell did you know that?

It was me.

It was my voice.

They were God's words.

He sent me.

You're an angel?

Yes.

Then ask him.

Ask God. He knows. He knows that I didn't know that there was a little boy

behind that door. That's true.

You didn't.

But you did know that whoever was behind that door is probably black.

You don't want to talk about this.

I know.

You haven't talked to anyone about this. Not even your wife. And that's why

you're standing in the middle of a cemetery.

holding a gun, trying to kill yourself.

Frank, God created you.

He gave you life. He doesn't want to see that taken away.

If that's true, then where was the angel when my daughter was killed?

I was there.

I saw her dart out into that street.

I saw her run in the path of a car that had no way of stopping in time.

And when you ran out and you held her in your arms, I was there.

I was holding her spirit.

And now, the father himself is holding her.

Oh, God.

Frank, it was an accident.

And no one, black or white, could have possibly seen her coming.

He had no business being there.

What was it? What was a black man doing in your neighborhood? Is that what you

were going to say?

I'm not a racist.

No. You probably don't think you are, but somewhere a long time ago, someone

said something to you about a black person. And it was hateful.

It was intolerant. And you listened.

You were too young to know better.

Then years later, one day...

Accidentally, someone kills your child. And because he was a black man, it made

it easier for you to hate him.

Because someone had taught you how to do that a long time ago.

Instead, you just focused on revenge.

That's why you were so driven that you got sloppy, Frank.

And you didn't check your facts.

And it's also what made it so easy two days ago for you not to hear the voice

an angel.

Or of a child.

Police!

Got the place surrounded!

Mommy!

Mommy?

Oh, God, forgive me. He was yelling, Mommy.

You'd stop listening by then, Frank.

What have they done?

Frank, God doesn't blame a child for being taught prejudice.

But he does hold you responsible now, now that you see it in yourself.

So what are you going to do about it?

I'd like to thank the congregation for...

Coming to God's house this evening, when it's time to say enough is enough.

I don't think you heard me.

Tonight is the night we take action.

We will march on City Hall tonight and every night until we get justice.

There will be a police and others who will try to stop us.

But we are within our rights.

This is a righteous cause.

We will not be intimidated.

We will not allow police brutality to devastate our community.

We are tired of being disrespected.

Tired of being lied to.

Tired of being shot in the street.

And we are tired of being shot in our own bedroom.

Lord, we demand that those who did this terrible act of violence

be judged.

Madeline Griffin will not be joining us tonight.

That good woman refuses to leave her son's side.

But she will be with us in spirit.

So... So...

We

would like to unite in song.

What are you doing here?

I have something to say. No one wants to hear any more of your lies.

Reverend, please, if I could just... And who are you?

He's... He's my friend.

Well, he's the only friend you've got in here. Maybe you should leave, both of

you. Look, I want you out of my church.

Hey, hold it.

This is not your church, Reverend. This is God's church, and it's called New

Hope. Do you have any faith in the possibility of new hope?

I am simply following the wishes of Madeline Griffin.

No, you're not.

I know it.

You're all in this together.

We are all in this together, Reverend.

And if we don't all get out of this together, this tragedy will never stop.

I've been praying.

With Madeline Griffin.

She doesn't want to fight.

She's never once prayed for vengeance, only for healing and for forgiveness.

You asked God for a better plan than yours, Reverend Davis.

But you didn't bother to wait and listen to what God had in mind.

How do you know what I pray for?

Because, baby, we're angels.

Are you ready now to listen to God's plan?

Yes.

Yes I am.

Detective McCovey has something to say.

I don't want to hear from him.

I didn't want to listen to him either.

Because I knew if I listened, maybe then I would have to forgive him.

But maybe that's what God had in mind.

Maybe that's the plan.

I shot a little boy.

The horror of that moment will live with me for the rest of my life.

I have a son of my own.

I have a daughter too.

But... But she's with God now.

So I know what it's like to lose a child.

I know the fear in Mrs. Griffin's heart at this moment because I sat with my

daughter night after night, just like she's doing right now with her son.

My daughter was killed two years ago.

On a Sunday afternoon right in front of our house, she was hit by a car.

She never regained consciousness.

Died a week later.

The driver of the car was a black man.

It wasn't his fault.

But I couldn't help but think that if it wasn't for a black man, my daughter

would be alive today.

And before I knew it, I was blaming all of you.

I never thought of myself as a...

bigot before, but I guess I was.

I didn't know it until this happened.

But I want to change.

And I'm asking God, my wife,

and you to

help me.

What happened the other day was not the police department's fault. It was not my

informant's fault. It was my fault.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.