Ep 18. Officer Down

In Homicide Hunter season 6 episode 18, titled "Officer Down", Detective Joe Kenda investigates the murder of a police officer. Kenda, who spent 23 years in the Colorado Springs Police Department and solved 387 homicide cases, his job is to find the culprit responsible for the killing.

The episode is set in Colorado Springs in 2000, when police officer Jared Jensen was on patrol with his partner, Kevin Butterbaugh. The two officers pull over a car during a routine traffic stop, but as they approach the vehicle, the driver suddenly pulls out a gun and shoots Jensen in the head, killing him instantly. The shooter then takes off, leading police on a high-speed chase through the city.

Kenda is called to the scene and begins his investigation into the shooting. He interviews Butterbaugh, who recounts the events leading up to the shooting. Kenda and his team also examine ballistics and other forensic evidence collected from the scene, as well as video footage from nearby businesses. The team eventually identifies the shooter as a man named Jason Reyna.

As Kenda and his team dig deeper into Reyna's past, they learn that he has a history of violence and run-ins with the law. They track down Reyna's girlfriend, who tells them that Reyna had been planning to shoot a police officer for weeks. Kenda and his team set up a surveillance warrant on Reyna's house, hoping to catch him before he can do any more harm.

After a few tense days of waiting, Reyna is spotted leaving his house in a stolen car. Kenda and his team give chase, and after a high-speed pursuit, Reyna crashes the car and is taken into custody. The team collects evidence from Reyna's car and home, including the gun used to shoot Jensen, which matches ballistics from the crime scene.

During Reyna's trial, Kenda and his team present their evidence, including testimony from Butterbaugh and Reyna's girlfriend. Reyna is eventually found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The episode ends with Kenda reflecting on the danger that police officers face every day and how they put their lives on the line to protect their communities. As he says, "There's no such thing as a routine traffic stop...because you never know what's going to happen."