EPISODE 1

The hum of the patrol car’s engine blended with the steady crackle of radio chatter. Sergeant I Riley Hartman sat in the passenger seat, eyes scanning the streets through the late-afternoon glare. Beside her, Police Officer III Daniel Xavier kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the siren control.

The calm shattered with a burst of static.

“All units, reports of an active shooter at Westlake Mall. Multiple shots fired. Suspect still inside. Stand by for further—”

Riley’s hand was already on the mic. “This is 12-Adam-24, copy that. We’re two minutes out.”

She turned to Daniel, her voice firm and unshakable. “Lights, sirens. Now.”

The patrol car roared to life, red and blue flashing across windshields as they cut through traffic. Daniel’s jaw tightened, weaving the vehicle between lanes. Pedestrians froze on sidewalks, some pulling out phones as the cruiser screamed past.

Riley checked her sidearm, the smooth, familiar weight settling her pulse. Her gaze stayed forward, calculating. “When we get there, we don’t wait for backup if he’s still shooting,” she said. “We go in.”

Daniel flicked her a quick look. “Yes, Sergeant.”

Ahead, the glass-and-steel structure of Westlake Mall rose against the skyline — and even from here, Riley could see people pouring out of the front entrance, running. Somewhere inside, gunfire cracked again, faint but unmistakable.

“Drive faster,” Riley ordered.

Daniel swung the cruiser into the mall’s front plaza, tires screeching. Riley was out before the car had fully stopped, the slam of her door cutting through the chaos. Screams echoed off the glass walls, shoppers scattering in all directions.

“LAPD! Clear the area!” Riley’s voice sliced through the panic as she scanned for the shooter. The smell of gunpowder clung to the air.

She motioned toward the west entrance. “Daniel — lock down the exits and keep people moving!”

“Yes, Sergeant!”

The mall’s wide glass doors were shattered, spiderweb cracks glittering under the fluorescent lights. Inside, two bodies lay motionless near the escalator — a young woman in a red dress, a man in a business suit. Blood pooled beneath them, bright against the pale tile.

Riley’s jaw tightened. She moved forward, her sidearm raised, boots echoing in the hollow corridors.

Another gunshot ripped through the air, followed by a woman’s scream. Riley tracked the sound toward the food court, weaving between overturned chairs and scattered shopping bags.

She saw him — tall, mid-thirties, eyes wild, a handgun jerking in his grip. A cashier cowered behind the counter as he shouted something incoherent.

“LAPD! Drop it!” Riley’s command thundered across the space.

The man’s gaze snapped to her, his hands trembling — then the muzzle swung her way.

Riley fired. One clean shot to the chest. He crumpled instantly, weapon skidding across the tile.

Daniel burst in seconds later, breathing hard. “You good, Sergeant?”

“Secure his weapon,” Riley ordered, already moving to check the victims. “And get EMS in here. We’ve got two down, maybe more.”

Within minutes, the blare of approaching sirens filled the air outside. The mall’s chaos began to shift into grim order — officers cordoning off entrances, frightened shoppers herded to safety, crime scene tape stretching across the shattered glass doors.

Riley crouched beside the young woman in the red dress. No pulse. She swallowed hard, moving to the businessman — same result. By the time the paramedics arrived, her voice was steady but clipped as she briefed them.

“Two confirmed deceased. Suspect is down in the food court. One civilian with a gunshot wound to the arm — he’s conscious and talking.”

EMS swept in, kneeling beside the wounded man she’d passed earlier. A paramedic glanced up at Riley. “We’ve got him.”

Detective Harris from Homicide arrived next, suit jacket flapping as he ducked under the tape. “Hartman,” he greeted, already snapping on gloves. “Walk me through it.”

Riley stood straighter, nodding toward the corridor. “We got the call at 16:42. Daniel and I arrived on scene within two minutes. Two civilians were already down. I advanced toward the sound of active gunfire in the food court. Suspect ignored commands to drop his weapon and aimed at me. I fired one round to neutralize the threat.”

Harris jotted notes. “Any idea on motive?”

“Unknown at this time,” Riley said. “We’ll need witnesses.”

As if on cue, an officer led over three shaken shoppers. Riley spent the next fifteen minutes coaxing details from them — what they’d seen, what the shooter had said, which direction he’d come from. She kept her tone calm, controlled, offering brief nods of reassurance without breaking her focus.

By the time she was done, EMS was wheeling the injured man out on a stretcher, and the coroner’s van had arrived for the dead. Riley gave Harris a final nod. “I’ll type up my report as soon as we’re back at the station.”

A few minute later, the flashing red-and-blue faded behind them as Daniel pulled the cruiser away from the mall. The quiet between them was heavy, broken only by the hum of the engine and the occasional crackle from the radio.

Daniel’s hands stayed steady on the wheel, but his eyes flicked toward her briefly.

“You handled that perfectly, Sergeant,” he said, the formality in his tone betraying both respect and a hint of awe.

Riley kept her gaze on the road ahead. “We did what had to be done, Officer Xavier. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, but there was still something lingering in his voice—admiration mixed with the adrenaline that hadn’t yet worn off.

When they pulled into the station’s lot, the weight of the evening pressed harder. Inside, the air smelled faintly of coffee and paperwork. A few officers glanced their way, already having heard pieces of the story through chatter and radio.

At the front desk, the duty sergeant gave them a nod. “Detectives are upstairs. They’ll want your full statement, Riley.”

“Understood,” she said, unfastening her duty belt slightly. “Come on, Xavier, you’re with me.”

“Yes, Sergeant,” Daniel answered quickly, falling in step behind her.

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