Shots Fired | Hour 4: Truth | Season 1 | Episode 4

The show opens with Preston (Stephen James) getting a call. He goes to meet Ashe (Sanaa Lanthan), who is with Cory (Marqus Clae).
Cory tells them that he witnessed Joey Campbell’s murder. He says two cops held Joey down while an old white man in black military gear came over and shot hm. He also shares that he went into hiding because the same people tried to run him over, he didn’t know if it was because they knew he saw what happened to Joey or because they saw him talking to Preston.

Preston is now ready to call Julian Carroll about opening (Mike Pniewski) an investigation but Ashe says they can’t rush into it, because they need to verify Cory is a credible witness.

The two have a video call with Carroll, in which he asks about Cory’s background. Preston tells Carroll that Cory doesn’t have a record but he is a drop-out and African American.

Carroll doesn’t give the go ahead because he says the public won’t support a black man who dropped out of school as credible. When Preston tries to press the issue, Carroll says he is starting to question how the investigation of Jessie Carr’s death is going.

Ashe steps in to pull Carroll back to the subject at hand and says they want to place Cory in protective custody. He says he will think about it.

Over at Joshua Beck’s (Tristan Mack Wilds) house his son hears something outside and puts on his super hero cape and goes outside, causing the alarm to go off. Beck gets his gun and goes outside where he finds his son staring at the side of the house where someone has painted “Killer Cop” in red paint.

Preston and Ashe are at breakfast and they are at each other’s throats again over how Preston handled the situation with Carroll. She tells him he needs to trust her instincts.

Ashe goes to the college campus to find Jessie’s weed dealer. The guy she is told to talk to says Jessie wasn’t into weed and he wouldn’t have gone to the hood when his weed is just as good.

Preston goes to see Sheriff Platt (Will Patton) to ask for documents on all the officers who worked the Carr and Campbell cases. The sheriff says it will take a few days but Preston says he needs them immediately. The two have a brief exchange when Preston calls Platt out after he feels the Sheriff is telling him to know his place.

Outside Joshua’s dad has stopped by the sheriff’s office to let his son know he and his mother are going to mortgage their house to help pay his legal fees, but Beck turns him down.

Preston is walking out with the records when the Sheriff asks him to go for a ride. While out they pull over a pick-up truck with 3 white men. On the back of the truck is a sticker that reads “Armed.” Platt pulled the driver over for not wearing a seatbelt.

Once he has the men get out of the car he tells Preston to search them. The whole point of the exercise was to show Preston how hard it is to police people who do not like you. Again, Preston over speaks and accuses the sheriff of protecting officers who are killing innocent citizens.

A town hall meeting is being held on education with Governor Eamons (Helen Hunt). Shameeka Campbell (DeWanda Wise) arrives with Shawn (Kylen Davis). The governor acknowledges Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds) and thanks her for bringing the issues of West Gate School to her attention.

In her address to the audience of mostly white citizens, Eamons talks about ow test scores and overcrowding. She says that she is ready to put $3 million dollars towards addressing the issues, the moderator asks her how will she fund it. Eamons announces that Arlington Cox and the Cox Group Financial have pledges the money. The announcement is met with a mix of sarcastic laughter and gasps of disbelief.

When the audience begins to speak they spew racist rhetoric. Stating they do not want the poor black kids coming to their school, and that they will have to install metal detectors at all the entrances. Shawn gets upset and walks out.

Preston and Ashe meet to go over the Carr case. Preston thinks Jessie was upset that his frat brothers sent him to a black neighborhood for barbecue and weed, after he was beat-up by a black guy. Ashe says that the shooting may not have been racially motivated, Carr may have simply had a bad attitude when confronted by Beck.

Preston points out that Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) was the first cop on the scene for both Jessie Carr and Joey Campbell’s shootings.
Preston and Ashe bring in an elderly black woman who claims Breeland killed her husband. Says he harassed them for years, and then arrested her husband on bogus charges. He died a month later from the stress.

A white man goes to the apartment where Cory was staying. He breaks in and then opens fire with a gun that has a silencer on it. When he turns on the lights he realizes there was no one in the apartment and that he had actually shot into some pillows.
The scene switches over to Cory and his family being taken into protective custody.

Preston and Ashe go to the station to talk to Deputy Brooks (Beau Knapp) about Lieutenant Breeland. Brooks reminds them that Breeland is his superior and informs them that if they want to question him he will need a union lawyer present.

Governor Eamons goes to visit Arlen Cox (Richard Dreyfuss) to discuss the prison complex. After joking about the debacle of a town hall meeting she had, Cox hands out a report on his prison complex but wants to up the percentage of guaranteed inmates from 85% occupancy to 88%. Eamons won’t agree to raise the numbers, because it would require more stops, profiling and bogus charges.

In the report we learn the state will receive 50% of the profits from the prison, while Cox will be paid $30K per prisoner.

Preston and Ashe confront Lt. Breeland about racial profiling. Breeland is still preaching that he is doing what’s best for everybody and how parents call and thank him for his work. He then tells a story about his dad and how he thought he was a bad guy who was a horrible husband and father, but at his funeral people came to him sharing what a great guy his dad was and all the great things he did in the community. Breeland admits he no longer believes in good and bad because it’s all relative.

Breeland tell the two they don’t belong there and that Ashe is trying to make a name for herself, while Preston is trying to rid himself of demons…or vice versus.

Shawn is arguing with his mom about going to his new school. Shemeeka breaks down and says he has to go because she doesn’t want him to end up dead like Joey. Shawn hugs his mom and lets her know it is going to be okay.

Shawn and several other students arrive for their first day of classes and are surprised when they are welcomed by the students at Lofton. The kids come out with school t-shirts and introduce themselves to their new classmates.

Meanwhile, Governor Eamons is catching it from all sides. Katie (Madison Thompson), her daughter, calls her out for being a hypocrite. She tells her mom she can’t send her own daughter to a $30K dollar a year school while telling other people they have to deal with poor school conditions. Her husband doesn’t even want to consider the daughter going to school in a poor neighborhood.

There are over 600 strands of marijuana in North Carolina but the weed from the college guy doesn’t match the weed found in Jessie’s car, but Jessie’s weed matches the weed that was found in Joey’s room. This leads Preston and Ashe to believe the weed was planted because Jessie was nowhere near where Joey lived or allegedly sold weed.

Carroll finally agrees to open a case on Joey Campbell’s death and Preston and Ashe go out to celebrate. At the blue’s club Preston asks Ashe if she took this case because she is trying to atone for the kid she shot and killed. Ashe replies that she really doesn’t know.

Ashe gets up to dance and asks Preston to join her. Preston was moving a little too slow and another guy stepped in. The guy is being too aggressive and a brief moment of tension arises when his friend comes over after Preston tells the guy to back-off. However, in true form Ashe steps in and the guy and his friend think she is crazy so they walk away.

The show ends with Pastor Janae preaching about truth when a white family comes in and she welcomes them. Deputy Beck, his wife and kids are all in bed together, and Lt. Breeland is reviewing Ashe’s police files.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.
Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

Shots Fired | Somebody’s Son | Season 1 | Episode 3

The show opens with Ashe (Sanaa Lathan) and Preston (Stephen James) going to visit Cory’s dad to ask if he’s seen him. Ashe asks if he filed a missing person’s report. He says no because when the two get into it Cory usually goes to his sister’s house. While they are talking shots are fired in the distance.

When they arrive at the scene Deputy Brooks (Beau Knapp) and Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) are standing over the body of a black teenager who has been shot and killed. Ashe and Breeland have a brief exchange that ends when he tells her that he can guarantee that the kid on the ground was killed by a black person.

At the pool hall Brooks is asked about Deputy Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds), by a retired cop. He is offended that the department filled his spot with the likes of Beck. The guy pulls out a petition demanding Beck be fired and he wants everyone there to sign. Brooks refuses to sign it and Breeland steps in. There is a brief scuffle and the retired officer leaves.

Kerry Beck (Clare-Hope Ashitey) is trying to get the kids in the car but things are really stressful with the media camped out in the front yard. She heads back inside to get everyone together when Joshua comes out and lets her know he will catch up with her later. He places his earbuds in his ears and goes for a run.

Ashe gets a call that she can talk to Kai. She and Preston go to visit Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds). Ashe brings up the rumor they heard about Joey Campbell and Pastor Jane suddenly tempers her socially conscious speech. When they ask about Cory she becomes a little concerned that they are learning too much about her dealings.

Politician Penn Moder (R. Keith Harris) shows up at the Carr home. He tells Alicia (Jill Hennessy) that he is going to introduce the Jessie Carr Call First Bill, which is a law that would require police officers to call the parent or guardian of anyone they stop who is under the age of 21. Ailica is offended that he wants to use her son’s death for a political platform, and refuses to throw her support behind the idea. After Moder leaves the house he goes out to the street and is interviewed by a reporter.

The toxicology report shows Jessie Carr’s blood alcohol level was 0.8. Ashe and Preston call the parents in and ask how long had Jessie struggled with alcohol. Alicia says he didn’t have a problem, but Ashe brings up that he was in rehab before. The mom says there was an incident where he and a friend were caught drinking. She sent him to rehab as a precaution.

When asked why they would send him to rehab after one incident, the dad acknowledges that he is a recovering alcoholic. He also shares that Jessie called him a week earlier looking for advice regarding an incident that happened at school. Jessie had gotten drunk and was involved in a fight. Alicia shares that the car Jessie was driving was his high school graduation gift.

Alicia wants to know if he was pulled over for drunk driving the day he was killed. When Ashe says no, Alicia accuses her of trying to come up with a story to make Jessie look bad. She also wants to know when she can get Jessie’s car out of impound.

Pastor Janae and Governor Eamons (Helen Hunt) are having lunch together. Pastor Janae says she called the governor because she would listen to what she has to say. She tells the governor that in her election speech she said she was a champion for the upper class and middle class, but what about the lower class. There are a numerous people looking through the window of the restaurant and this seems to annoy Eamons.

The scene Scene goes to Alicia arriving at Moder’s campaign headquarters. When he comes out to greet her she lets him know that she is in and wants to support him.

Ashe goes to see Alicia and is surprised that there are cameras and make-up artist at the house. She came to give her the release for Jessie’s car, but Alicia lets her know that she no longer believes Ashe is there to seek justice in Jessie’s death.

When someone calls for her, Alicia goes before the camera and begins reciting a statement about the Jessie Carr Bill and how Penn Moder is the best candidate for mothers and will ensure that the police are held accountable regardless of race.

Governor Eamons goes to see Shemeeka Campbell (DeWanda Wise) after talking to Pastor Janae. She is accompanied by her aide, Sarah Ellis (Conor Leslie). She meets Shemeeka’s youngest son Shawn (Kylen Davis). He is very mannerable and offers their guess a choice of tea or lemonade. They are all in the bedroom that Joey and Shawn shared. Eamons looks around and notices tape on the floor. Shemeeka shares hare the floor was damaged and that she decided to keep the tape to remember Joey.

Shawn is asking the governor a lot of questions letting her know that he is a smart kid. In return she asks him about the Hornets basketball team. Shawn lets her know that was Joey’s thing and not his. The governor decides she has been there long enough and says she has to leave. Before she goes, Shemeeka asks if she can help get Shawn into a better school because the one he’s in is closing. Eamons says she will see what she can do and shakes Shawns hand. She seems shocked that he has a nice handshake.

Ashe and Preston go to talk to Cara (Jenna Kanell), Jessie’s girlfriend. She shares that Jessie started drinking after pledging a fraternity. He became intoxicated one night and got into an altercation with the Resident Assistant.

Ashe goes to the dorm to talk the RA. He tells them that Jessie got drunk one time. When she asks him to tell her what happened, he says he’s not a snitch. Ashe says if she had a dollar for every time someone said that before they snitched she’d be a millionaire. The guy tells her that Jessie was “White boy wasted.” They got into a fight and he had to beat his ass. Ashe asks if it was in front of his frat brothers, and he replies, no in front of everybody.

At the storyboard Preston and Ashe debate whether or not Jessie was a racist. Ashe receives a call that a friend tracked Kiana’s (Antonique Smith) mobile phone. Preston is worried that she used illegal means to find her. The two are bickering about college and frats when Preston tells her he is a Sigma. Ashe is shocked. Preston then tells her how many politicians, judges and members of the DOJ that are Sigma’s.

Ashe goes to see Kiana and she is set-up in a nice place, fully furnished and full of shopping bags. Outside someone is listening to their conversation. On her drive back the next day, Ashe calls Preston to fill him in. When they disconnect she gets a call that Javier forgot about the call so it may be 2 -3 hours before they can connect.

Preston goes to the frat house to inquire about Jessie’s plans on the day he was killed. The guy who comes to the door says that Jessie was on his way to Gate’s barbecue. Preston states it was a long drive for some barbecue, but the frat brother says that was what he wanted.

Lieutenant Breeland goes to visit Shemeeka at the request of the Governor. He apologizes for the way he came across the first time he visited. He says he means well and wants to be the first person she calls if she hears anything.

Back at the college Preston attends a party and engages with one of the fraternity pledges (Elijah Marcano). The kid lets Preston know that after Jessie was beaten the frat brothers started harassing him, saying it was an embarrassment for him to get beat-up by a black guy.

Beck finally returns home and his dinner is on the table and Kerry is trying to fix the plumbing under the kitchen sink. She called the plumber but he refused to come. Beck believes that it’s because he is the black cop that killed the white guy.

When Kerry says they are already being given the side-eye by everyone else, they can’t do it to each other; Joshua implies that she isn’t being looked at sideways.

Kerry says that she went to get fitted for her bridesmaid’s dress and was all but asked to bow out by the wedding coordinator. She assures Joshua that they can get through anything together.

Ashe goes to the Sheriff’s office to ask where she should turn in the paperwork for Jessie’s car. Without ever making eye contact the deputy tells her it goes to the impound lot. As she walks away she overhears and officer speaking to Cory’s dad. He is there filing a missing person’s report.

Later Ashe tail’s him as he leaves the house. Her daughter calls and begins to tell her about Paula taking her shoe shopping. This strikes a nerve and Ashe goes off about Kai talking in Spanish and missing her call to go shoe shopping. Kai begins to cry and Javier gets on the phone. He hangs up on Ashe and then blocks her number.

Preston is at the batting cage when Sarah shows up. He shares with her that he may have placed Cory’s life in danger. Sarah reveals that when she was in college at Duke she learned a Frat had a slut book, so she organized a slut walk and got the fraternity shut down. The event got the attention of the governor’s office and earned her an internship. Preston asks if her name was on the list.

Jessie’s car is delivered, the scene fades to Joshua and Kerry in the shower, and then goes back to Alicia as she gets in Jessie’s car and begins to cry.

Ashe has followed Cory’s dad to a gas station. When he leaves there he heads over to an apartment. Ashe goes into the apartment gun drawn and gets into a physical altercation with someone. The lights are out so she only knows that it’s a male. When she gets the person down she realizes it is Cory.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

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Shots Fired | Betrayal of Trust | Season 1 | Episode 2

The father of Jesse Carr (Jacob Leinbach) shows up at Deputy Beck’s (Tristan Mack Wilds) house with the intention of killing him. He pulls a gun on him and just as quick Joshua pulls his own gun. The two have an intense stand-off where Joshua orders him to drop the gun. Joshua remains calm and shows empathy towards the dad, letting him know he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose a son, but if the father wants to know what really happened they can sit down and talk.

The dad places the gun on the ground and says that he already knows what really happened.

Disclaimer: I was watching the Venus Williams vs. Angelique Kerber tennis match before the show came on, and accidentally hit changed the channel back to ESPN. I was praying this was a dream scene, because if a black father rolled up on a white officer who murdered his son, he would have been dead before he reached the sidewalk, let alone raised a gun.

Ashe (Sanaa Lathan) is on the phone with someone and is upset that Javier (Angel Bonanni) isn’t willing to back down on the custody suit.

Preston (Stephan James) goes to the neighborhood looking for Cory (Marqus Clae) but comes across another guy spray painting a mural on the front of a house. When he asks who is in the mural, he says Joey Campbell (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Preston then asks what he thinks happened to Joey and the teen walks away, gets on a bicycle and rides off.

It’s the day of Jesse’s funeral and Deputy Beck is still in his uniform either just coming in from work or getting ready to leave. The news coverage goes to the leaked video. One of Deputy Beck’s sons asks why all the reporters are outside and he says because he is famous.

At the funeral, which is being televised, the governor (Helen Hunt) and her staff, Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds) and others arrive. Preston and Ashe are in the car discussing the case and Ashe is still more focused on the cover-up of Joey Campbell’s death, while Preston is focused on who leaked the video of Deputy Beck.

Following the funeral the governor’s aide lets Preston know the governor wants to speak with her him in private. When Ashe tries to follow the aide lets her know, only Preston. Ashe catches that the aide referred to him as Preston and not Mr. Terry, and points it out to the aide.

In the vehicle the governor is looking for answers but Preston lets her know it isn’t that easy. She also invites Preston to a dinner at the governor’s mansion. Preston declines stating that his dad is coming to visit, but the governor states he can come also.

Pastor Janae is being interviewed by the media and she mentions that although she empathizes with the Carr family, the governor needs to be just as concerned about the death of Joey Campbell, whose murder is not being investigated.

Ashe shows up at a football game and confronts Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) who is the officer that came to Shemeeka Campbell’s (DeWanda Wise) home. He says that the mother knew Joey was dealing drugs and he just wanted to scare her straight.

At the station Beck is confronted by a white cop named Deputy Euklund (Greg Sproles) about the video where he states he wants to kill crackers. The two get into a scuffle but are separated by another officer, Deputy Caleb Brooks (Beau Knapp).

Preston’s dad (Dennis Haysbert) arrives for a visit. At the hotel, Maceo (Shamier Anderson) shows up full of life. Maceo and the dad head off to breakfast leaving Preston behind.

Lieutenant Breeland’s daughter, Tess, (Brett Cooper) is in his office, he thinks she is there because his wife told her she couldn’t go to a party. However, Tess is there to confront him about telling one of the players if he didn’t block for her he would kill his black ass. She tells her dad that his statement was racist, but he says it wasn’t. Breeland then tells her that she can attend the party, and adds, so take your white ass on and have a good time.

Ashe and Preston go to a club to find a guy named Julian (Julian Brittano), who is Beck’s cousin. The video of Beck was leaked from Julian’s phone. Ashe has to threaten him with bodily harm to get him to talk, but learns that his phone was confiscated when he was arrested for jaywalking a year earlier.

Outside Preston confronts Ashe for her tactics but she lets him know that she didn’t pull her gun and to get results she has to act like a bad ass. Preston is by the books says she needs to chill because it’s his job that’s on the line if something goes wrong.

At the station they pull the police report and learn that everything was deleted from the phone. The arresting officer was Brooks, but he says he didn’t leak the video. Ashe asks who had access to the phone and he says several people, including the judge, prosecutor and other members of the sheriff’s office.

Preston attends the governor’s dinner, but his dad isn’t with him. The governor introduces him to three men, Dr. Koppel (Don A. King), and a judge who are both white, and Reverend Dupont (Al Mitchell), who is black.

It turns out the party is actually a fundraiser for a private prison complex that will have a hospital, high school, college, and other amenities. Preston can’t believe what he is witnessing. Aside from the prototype model of the massive facility, the help is walking around in butler and maid, attire.

Preston speaks to his dad and learns that he didn’t attend the dinner because Maceo had a bad game, and was feeling down. Although he was disappointed, Preston was relieved his father didn’t show after learning the real reason he was invited.

Preston goes to see the aide and shares how he felt about the governor inviting him to the dinner. He says she used him to be able to say she had a black DOJ prosecutor at the party. The aide agrees and lets him know that’s partly why he was chosen for the case. The two end up having sex again.

Maceo shows up at Ashe’s hotel room but she isn’t having it. Masceo says if she acts like a random groupie trick he’s going to treat her like one. Ashe counters that the only problem is he’s standing on the outside of her hotel room door trying to get inside. She then closes the door in his face.

The governor meets with Reverend Dupont to discuss Pastor Janae. He tells her Pastor Janae isn’t relevant but the governor points out her social media numbers say otherwise. She needs the reverend to discredit Pastor Janae.

Reverend Dupont shows up at a rally and confronts Pastor Janae, saying if it wasn’t for him she would still be drinking from the colored’s only fountain. He asks if he can pray with her but before he could get two words out Pastor Janae takes over and goes in to an impassioned prayer. Afterwards he tells her leading prayer is one thing, leading people is another.

Beck and Brooks go after Julian to question him about the video. When they catch-up with him Julian says he didn’t release the video but adds that Beck deserves whatever he gets, for being a sell-out.

Preston goes to see Sheriff Platt to inquire about Cory being missing. It is apparent that he is aware of what’s going on and is concealing information that could help the case.

Ashe goes to visit Shemeeka to ask her about any witnesses to Joey’s death. She tells her about someone named Kiana Ward (Antonique Smith), but she has since moved without notice and no one knows where she went.

Ashe calls about Javier again and learns there is a court date set regarding the altercation between her and Javier’s girlfriend. He tells her that she needs to get back home and show she is getting help for her anger issues or she may lose the case.

Preston meets his dad and the two get into a discussion about him choosing law over baseball. The dad says that although he is proud of Preston, the suit and tie was supposed to come after baseball and after he won a World Series. It is apparent that Preston was the better and more promising ball player between him and Maceo. The fact that the father had more faith in Preston may explain why Maceo is so messed up, emotionally.

Working on their story board, Preston and Ashe try to build their case. Preston shows Ashe he isn’t as dumb as she thinks he is and he has moves too. He is on top of everything she is doing and not feeling the need to run what he’s doing past her.

Ashe is willing to work together on both cases and the two agree to stop going behind each other’s backs. She says she thinks Beck's a good cop in a bad department and wants to approach the case from that angle.

The two decide to go out and canvas the neighborhood. They talk to a young woman about Joey Campbell and she tells them to go see Pastor Janae. We get our first hint that Pastor Janae may be a regulator in the hood and behind some other activity that isn’t too Godly.

Sheriff Platt goes to the Beck’s house for dinner. Joshua thinks he actually cares, but he is really there to tell him that the union won’t be covering his legal fees because of the video. However, he should look at the bright side…he still has a job.

The show ends with a group of white kids gathered around a curbside memorial for Jesse, and in a juxtaposition, Preston and Ashe are looking at the finished mural of Joey.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com