S. Epatha Merkersen who later joined Law And Order as Lieutenant Van Buren plays a distraught mother as George Dzundza and Chris Noth catch the worst kind of homicide. Some kid sprayed an apartment with automatic weapon fire and killed an infant and wounded his brother.
The shooter is young Terrance Telfair who has a smart mouth and a real attitude. A little investigation will reveal that drug dealer James McDaniel who would later be Lieutenant Arthur Fancy on NYPD Blue set the hit up. The theme of underage shooters would be used a few more times in the history of the Law And Order series.
As McDaniel is brought to trial though the question of motive looms large as Merkersen and her family are clean. In one of the series most poignant moments Michael Moriarty in questioning young Telfair brings out to the court that the kid is illiterate, that he read the printed address wrong on the slip of paper that McDaniel gave him.
Poignant for me because many years ago I knew and was involved with a young man who also was illiterate. It's a horrible state to be in, to not even be able to read want ads so that you can get a job, or read a restaurant menu to order food or hundreds of other situations that people with reading skills can deal with.
This episode is one to check out.
The shooter is young Terrance Telfair who has a smart mouth and a real attitude. A little investigation will reveal that drug dealer James McDaniel who would later be Lieutenant Arthur Fancy on NYPD Blue set the hit up. The theme of underage shooters would be used a few more times in the history of the Law And Order series.
As McDaniel is brought to trial though the question of motive looms large as Merkersen and her family are clean. In one of the series most poignant moments Michael Moriarty in questioning young Telfair brings out to the court that the kid is illiterate, that he read the printed address wrong on the slip of paper that McDaniel gave him.
Poignant for me because many years ago I knew and was involved with a young man who also was illiterate. It's a horrible state to be in, to not even be able to read want ads so that you can get a job, or read a restaurant menu to order food or hundreds of other situations that people with reading skills can deal with.
This episode is one to check out.
