Protagonists#

• Short, Lance - Foreign Service Officer (Γιάννης)
• Miller, Liam (Agent Dave / Jocko) - Naval Special Warfare Group One (SEALs) (Παναγιώτης)
• Agent Artemis - ?????? (Τάσος)
• Bennet, Wendy - Criminal Intelligence Analyst / Assistant Professor of Criminology (Κωνσταντίνα)

Agent Artemis#

On his way out of the FBI building, Pitzerelli tells Agent Artemis to go downstairs and join the other agents. She has already been briefed about her assignment.

The Footage#

Agent Artemis walks into the conference room while the other agents are watching video footage on the PC.

A half-dozen video files are in the desktop’s hard drive. Each has attached digital forensics summaries compiled somewhere inside the NSA. The most viewed file is labeled “Sutra Sand. 14-11-2018 2310-2313.” It was uploaded to YouTube as “Shook on dat SAUCE! Cr4zy OD!”

The video is from a security camera outside Sutra Sandwiches in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. It overlooks outdoor seating. There is no sound. It’s night. No one is seated outside. At the edge of the frame, on a sidewalk along a fence across the street, a tall, sturdy Black man walks into view. He seems to be in the midst of some fit or seizure. He is distant from the camera and poorly lit. He stumbles into a parked car, setting off the alarm. A pair of passersby attempt to help but the man’s violent thrashing throws both back.

Roughly thirty seconds into the footage, the man begins clawing at his face and arms. He digs trenches through his skin as a growing crowd of onlookers stare in horror. Some get out phones to call for help. Others begin filming. A couple try to restrain him. All soon recoil, flee, or drop their phones as they become sick.

The man rises and begins flinging blood and skin, then his nose, onto the sidewalk and parked cars. He reaches into his sinus cavity, up to the third knuckle of both hands. He begins tearing his own skull apart. As his scalp visibly snaps and sags under the pressure of the lunatic prying, he finally succumbs to shock and falls to the concrete. Stunned onlookers surround the corpse. A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulls up. The footage cuts out.

Preliminaries#

Agent Locke – Finds information on the victim, Jaz Ihejirika, in federal databases. He ran a podcast called “Off the Brim”, focused on social justice issues and the Black Lives Matter movement in L.A.

Agent Lance – Contacts “Ethan Spicer”, an employee of L.A. Bureau of Street Services, while pretending to be an LASD officer named James Caroll. He concludes that Ethan texted his friend “Liam”, who was working a shift near Sutra Sandwitches at the time of Jaz’s death.

Agents Artemis and Jocko check the police blotter and 911 records. They discover that the first deputies on the scene, arriving in a LASD police cruiser, were Sgt. Freddy Sutton and Deputy Julian Sainz.

The Dondry Lawsuit#

The Agents watch the last episode of “Off the Brim,” uploaded November 1, 2018. It’s on YouTube, an interview between Ihejirika and activist Nelinha Esteves. Viewing it, they learn the details of the Dondry Lawsuit.

• Date and Context:
  • Year: 2015
  • Agency: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Intelligence Division
  • Operation: Sting targeting La eMe (Mexican Mafia), a major prison gang.
• Target:
  • Silvio Chaves, suspected member of the Zambada-García wing of the Sinaloa Cartel.
  • Believed to operate a narcotics distribution hub from his rented duplex.
• Intelligence and Jurisdiction:
  • Intel collected by LASD.
  • Location under LAPD jurisdiction.
  • Joint operation between LASD and LAPD.
• Warrant and Raid:
  • “No-knock” warrant issued.
  • Date and time: 0545 hours, June 2, 2015.
  • Unit: LASD Tactical Narcotics Unit (TNU), nicknamed the “Slug Squad.”
• Incident Details:
  • Chaves was awake at the time of entry.
  • He fled to the kitchen, allegedly reaching for a weapon.
  • Chaves fired first.
  • Three LASD members returned fire (submachine guns and a shotgun).
  • Chaves killed instantly, body found over a table loaded with meth and rifles.
  • Sgt. Freddy Sutton hit in the plate carrier, sustained bruised ribs.
• Collateral Deaths:
  • Rounds penetrated the adjoining duplex.
  • Neighbor: Claudette Dondry, a retired pediatric nurse, operating an unlicensed daycare.
  • Victims: Dondry and two children (ages 3 years and 18 months) killed during breakfast.
• Legal Proceedings:
  • Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Los Angeles County and LASD.
  • Case presented to a grand jury.
  • 2017 grand jury decision: Deputies absolved of wrongdoing.
• Grand Jury and Public Response:
  • Sealed proceedings, minimal media coverage.
  • Analysts predicted no indictment due to departmental backing.
  • Deputies not suspended during discovery, signaling institutional confidence.
• LASD Justification:
  • Claimed discovery of large meth and firearm caches justified the no-knock warrant.
  • Pointed to Chaves’s violent criminal record and armed resistance.
  • Argued daycare was unregistered, unlicensed, and illegally zoned.
  • Property manager erroneously listed the adjoining unit as vacant.
  • Clerical error cited as key factor.
• Shooting Board Conclusion:
  • Incident labeled “unfortunate.”
  • Blame assigned to clerical error, illegal daycare operation, and bad luck.
• Aftermath and Public Commentary: Editorials noted a conviction became impossible after Slug Squad’s later success taking down “The Southside Tiger” in the same area.

Victim’s Residence#

The Agents drive to Jaz’s apartment in Leimert Park. All disguised in their own style:

• Jocko in a university style footer.
• Locke in a Bob Marley t-shirt.
• Artemis casual clothing.
• Lance in his typical suit and necktie, along with a blue cap embroidered with a lighthouse design.

Jocko manages to surreptitiously break the door, letting the Agents search the small apartment:

• No indications of the owner being a drug user.
• Research material regarding the Dondry Lawsuit
• The original podcast recording discusses the case at length.
• Paper bags from Quickstop and a coaster from a nearby divebar.
• A LASD cruiser parked across the plaza.

The Crime Scene#

After successfully exiting the building and confirming that the police officer in the cruiser is neither Sgt. Freddy Sutton nor Deputy Julian Sainz, the agents proceed to the site where Jaz Ihejirika took his own life.

They determine that it may be possible to reconstruct the victim’s movements by reviewing surveillance footage obtained from nearby businesses and establishments.

Artemis’ Day 1 Conclusions#

Agent Artemis observes that the other agents appear to be exhibiting signs of paranoia, erratic behavior, and a lack of cooperation.