CSI: CRIME scene investigation

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Paper or Plastic

Written by  Naren Shankar
Directed by Ken Fink

The CSIs are called to the scene of a grocery store holdup, in which five people are shot to death, including a police officer, whose partner is David Fromansky (guest star David Andrews), Grissom’s nemesis from a previous vigilante case.

His partner, Officer Clay, entered the store unaware that there was a robbery in progress, and Fromansky claims he ran in when he heard gunfire, engaging the suspects. When questioned, Fromansky cannot be sure of how many times he fired his weapon, but then he drops a bomb – there was a third suspect, and not only is he quite sure he fired four times at that robber, he also believes he brought him down.

 But his story doesn’t make sense. Inside the store, the CSIs and Brass have found only two ski-masked suspects, and further investigation shows no sign of the mystery gunman, his getaway car, or a possible escape route. And when Warrick gets the ballistics results from the scene, not only is there no evidence of a third gunman, they can now prove that Fromansky fired the shot that killed one of the customers, a cocktail waitress.

 Fromansky is adamant. Unless the woman was killed by a ricochet, he insists that he did not shoot at any civilian. Grissom says the evidence shows that Fromansky virtually emptied his clip, not the way a policeman is supposed to respond.

 Brass has no other choice but to put Fromansky on administrative leave, convincing the cop that Grissom won’t be satisfied till he brings him down for good. But Fromansky’s wrong about that. Grissom is not about to give up on the cop, no matter how much he dislikes him, until the complicated evidence tells him otherwise.