CSI:New York

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Officer Blue

Written by Anthony E. Zuiker
Directed by Deran Sarafian

A clear morning in Central Park., a scuffle breaks out between an African American man and a British tourist. Mounted Officer Valasquez, on his beautiful Tennessee Walker nicknamed Officer Blue, rides towards the commotion. A gunshot rings out and Valasquez is shot in the back. The bullet is deflected into his trusty horse, nicknamed Officer Blue. He falls to the ground and the horse takes off, rider less, in full gallop. A taxi rounds the corner and the animal slams into the car. The car screeches to a halt and the horse lies in the middle of the street, badly hurt, but not dead. Extracting the bullet from Officer Blue would mean almost certain death for the beloved animal. Officer Mac Taylor doesn’t want to do that just yet, preferring to work with other evidence the CSIs can gather up in the meantime.

It appears Officer Valasquez was shot from a neighboring building, and the sidewalk fight was likely a set-up to distract the police officer. The team finds a fingerprint belonging to Richard Smockton, an animal activist who has been vocal in his discontent about the NYPD’s use of horses, on the sixteenth floor of the building – a perfect vantage point for a hit. Smockton denies he had any part in the shooting, and it seems he’s telling the truth. Mac notices that he suffers from Graves’ Disease, which causes hand tremors that would have made him a poor marksman.

Their investigation leads them to another suspect, Willie Chancey, the street salesman who was arguing with the tourist in Central Park. Their altercation was caught on camera, and the footage clearly shows that Willie deliberately provoked the tourist into a fistfight. However, Willie couldn’t have shot the police officer as all his actions were recorded on tape – he must have had an accomplice. The bullet lodged in Officer Blue could provide a vital lead, but is Mac prepared to order the horse to undergo an operation that could kill it?

Aiden Burn investigates a flaming hot crime at a pizza parlor. The victim, Lenny Starks, was found stabbed to death on the street, with curious burn marks on the side of his face. The blazing trail leads back to the local pizzeria, where Aiden finds the owners are not too willing to help her investigation.

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