21st Precinct 54-07-14 (053) The Shotgun

Summary

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Podcast Summary: 21st Precinct 54-07-14 (053) "The Shotgun"

Main Theme/Purpose

This episode of “21st Precinct” dramatizes a homicide investigation following a domestic shooting in postwar New York City. Through official police procedure and emotionally charged interrogations, the story reveals the tragic consequences of domestic violence, the work of the police in such cases, and the human costs that ripple out to families and communities. The show provides a gripping depiction of real-life police work as it was dramatized during the golden age of radio.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Inciting Incident: Domestic Shooting (01:04–05:56)

• The episode opens with Sergeant Waters receiving a call about a woman who claims to have shot her husband.
• Officers respond to the tense scene; Eva Weald awaits them, confessing to the act.
• Eva explains to the officers that she shot her husband as an act of self-defense, emphasizing that she warned him multiple times.

Notable Quote:

Eva Weald (05:06): “I warned him. I warned him and he still came after me. I warned him to stay away from me.”

2. Immediate Police Response & Crime Scene (06:03–08:13)

• Officers enter the flat where they discover the victim dead in the bedroom and the shotgun used in the shooting.
• Eva is cooperative, if distraught, and clarifies her actions repeatedly to the officers.
• Sergeant Waters and Patrolman Tyler secure the crime scene and request detective and technical assistance.

Notable Quote:

Sergeant Waters (08:17): “Lady, take my word for it. You’ll need a lot more than that in your favor.”

3. Investigation and Evidence Gathering (10:41–13:08)

• Captain Kennelly arrives, briefed on the timeline and circumstances of the shooting.
• The preliminary investigation uncovers a complex picture: Eva and her husband’s troubled marriage, his alcoholism, her stated fear for her life, and her defense that she was provoked into shooting.
• The couple’s children are noted as being away at camp, heightening the family tragedy.

Notable Quote:

Eva Weald (13:49): “All I asked him was where he was, and he started to push me. I said...I’m not going to stand being pushed around anymore.”

4. Eva’s Interrogation and the Timeline Discrepancies (17:48–24:16)

• Eva offers her account: provoked by her husband, she barricaded herself, retrieved the shotgun, and shot when he broke in.
• Detectives probe inconsistencies in her timeline, challenging her on when the shooting actually occurred and why no neighbors heard the incident.
• Eva finally admits to killing her husband earlier than she initially claimed, confessing to sitting in the apartment with his body “just sat there and thought about the 11 years I’ve been married to him, kids in the place we live in, him being drunk all the time...”

Notable Quotes:

Lieutenant King (18:44): “All that racket he was making...seems probable that someone should have heard it, doesn't it?”
Eva Weald (22:39): “As long as I killed him, why should I try to keep it a secret?”

5. The Mother-in-Law’s Reaction: Isabelle Weald (25:31–28:31)

• Isabelle Weald, the victim’s mother, arrives at the precinct furious and grieving, demanding answers and access to Eva.
• The show portrays her heartbreak and bitterness, as well as her blaming of Eva for everything—both highlighting generational family tensions and deepening the emotional complexity.

Notable Quote:

Isabelle Weald (26:00): “She shot him in cold blood.” Captain Kennelly (29:26): “Well, that’s up to the courts to determine.”

6. The Broader Picture: Routine in the 21st Precinct (29:38–end)

• The episode closes with Captain Kennelly reflecting on the unceasing flow of tragedies and duties in the city precinct, reinforcing the program’s recurring theme: the police’s work never ends, and each case is part of a larger, ongoing cycle of New York life.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Eva’s Shock and Motivation:
  “I shot him because I was afraid he was going to kill me.”
  — Eva Weald, (22:00)

• Grim Irony:
  “You had the nerve to shoot her son.”
  — Captain Kennelly, (15:59)

• Community Silence:
  “All that racket he was making, chasing you around...seems probable that someone should have heard it, doesn't it?”
  — Lt. King, (18:44)

• Reluctant Honesty:
  “As long as I killed him, why should I try to keep it a secret?”
  — Eva Weald, (22:39)

• Tragic Focus:
  “But the important thing was I couldn’t think of anything to tell his mother.”
  — Eva Weald, (24:09)

• Mother-in-Law’s Fury:
  “She shot him in cold blood...I could have predicted it 10 years ago.”
  — Isabelle Weald, (26:00–27:04)

• Procedural Philosophy:
  “Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone.”
  — Narrator, (29:38)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:04–05:56: Crime reported and initial confession by Eva.
• 06:03–08:13: Officers and detectives process the scene.
• 10:41–13:08: Captain Kennelly’s arrival and further discovery.
• 17:48–24:16: Interrogation—timeline discrepancies and confession.
• 25:31–28:31: Isabelle Weald’s confrontation at the precinct.
• 29:38–end: Reflection on precinct’s ongoing work and episode wrap.

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Language and Tone

The episode is characterized by a direct, procedural tone typical of police drama, coupled with moments of emotional frankness and desperation from Eva and her mother-in-law. The officers speak with a matter-of-fact professionalism, often probing and skeptical, while Eva’s language shifts between numb exhaustion and raw, defensive confession. Isabelle Weald’s dialogue is bitter and mournful, providing a window into generational blame and heartbreak.

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Conclusion

“21st Precinct: The Shotgun” is a stark and compelling portrait of a domestic tragedy and the subsequent police investigation. Through sharp dialogue and careful pacing, it exposes the human pain behind criminal justice procedures and invites listeners to consider the broader effects of violence within families—making it memorable not only as old-time radio drama, but as social commentary that still resonates today.

Transcript

[A]

Or lost. I'm gonna pull over and ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're looking to get to the campground.

[B]

Well, you're gonna take a left at the old oak tree end of this here road. No, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.

[A]

How are you getting a signal out here?

[B]

T Mobile and US Cellular decided to merge. So the network out here is huge. We're getting the same great signal as the city and saving a boatload with all the benefits. Oh, and a five year price guarantee. Okay, here's those directions.

[A]

Actually, can you point us in the direction of a T Mobile store?

[C]

America's best network just got bigger.

[B]

Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out.

[C]

Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stores.

[B]

Best mobile network based on analysis by Oogle of Speedtest Intelligence data 2H2025. Bigger network. The combination of T Mobile's and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage. Price guarantee on talk, text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. CT T mobile.com for details.

[C]

21st policing, Sergeant Waters. Wait a minute. Who is this shot? Your husband. Where? What's the address? Yeah, yeah. 45 or 49. Where's the guy? You are in the muster room at the 21st Precinct, the nerve center. A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken pursuant to that call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct. All right, you stay right there. I'll send the officers right over. Yeah, right away. 21st Precinct. Just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the 9/10 of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the east river wouldn't know if you asked them that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not. The security of their homes, their persons and their property is the job of the men of the 21st Precinct. The 21st. 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants and four lieutenants, of whom I'm the boss. My name is Kennelly. Frank Kennelly. I'm captain in command of the 21st. I was working my night tour, 4pm to 8am The 4 to 12 tour had been exceedingly quiet, due in part to a heavy downpour of rain, which began early in the afternoon and continued until nearly 11. Troublemakers like to get wet no more than anyone else. And a good Rain keeps them off the street. By midnight, when I turned out the platoon for the late tour, the sky had turned clear, although the streets of the city were still wet and glistening. After the men had marched out the front door of the station house, I went into my office to dispose of some accumulated paperwork and await the appearance of Patrolman Daniel Ritchie. He had requested to see me when he came off the job at midnight in regard to a leave of absence for the purpose of attending to personal business in Florida in connection with his father's estate. At 12:25am While I was so engaged, Sergeant Waters, who was supervising patrol, instructed his operator, Patrolman Elton Tyler, to pull their car to a stop at the curb near a call box on First Avenue close to the northern boundary of the precinct. Okay, I want to ring in. Yes, sir. Precinct Sergeant Collins. Sergeant Waters. Box number 11. Let me talk to the lieutenant, will you, Vince? Yeah, Molungen, Detective. Okay, Lieutenant Dorman. Sergeant Waters. Lieutenant, I went up there on First Avenue to take a look at that condition. There's about a foot of water in the street at that spot, Lieutenant. Looks like the catch basin and the sewer is stopped up there.

[A]

Excuse me, Officer.

[C]

Just a second, lady. What'd you say, Sergeant? A woman just walked up and was speaking to me, Lieutenant. I'll be with you in a minute, lady.

[A]

All right.

[C]

All the water from the rain has just hung up there, Lieutenant. I think it'd be a good idea to notify the borough president's office and have them send a crew up to clean out that catch basin. All right.

[A]

I'll notify them, Officer.

[C]

In a second, lady. They ought to get up there as soon as they can, Lieutenant. The traffic's slopping around that water. Okay, I'll notify them right away. Yes, sir.

[A]

Sergeant.

[C]

Yes, sir. The detectives have a woman tape upstairs ringing in about 15 minutes. You might have to ride down to the 19th and get a policewoman to search her. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'. Am. What is it?

[A]

I wanted to tell you I just shot my husband. Yeah, I did. I just shot him.

[C]

Where is it?

[A]

In that house there, next to the corner. I live in there.

[C]

Where is he?

[A]

Upstairs in the flat.

[C]

All right, let's go have a look.

[A]

I couldn't help it. I really couldn't.

[C]

Just a second. Tyler. That's right. Come on. What did you shoot him with?

[A]

A gun.

[C]

I know it must have been a gun. Yes, assignment. Come on with us. We've got a shooting. Yes? What kind of gun?

[A]

A shotgun, I think you call it. You know, gun about this long.

[C]

You dead?

[A]

I don't know. I did it. And I ran out of the house right away. I ran out of the house to get some help. We got the formula in here? Yes, that's right. Check him forward.

[C]

I'll get the door.

[A]

Yeah, if it's not locked. Didn't take my key.

[C]

It's not locked. Why did you shoot him?

[A]

I warned him. I warned him and he still came after me. I warned him to stay away from me.

[C]

All right. Where is the shotgun?

[A]

Upstairs. I left it upstairs.

[C]

When did this happen?

[A]

Just now. Just a minute ago. I came out to call someone, called some help.

[C]

Must not have been a very loud shotgun. Nobody in the building heard it.

[A]

It was loud, all right. It was the loudest thing I ever heard.

[C]

Put your apartment up there.

[A]

Look.

[C]

That one.

[A]

Yeah. See? I left the door open when I ran out.

[C]

Whose gun is it?

[A]

His.

[C]

All right, go ahead.

[A]

I wish you'd go first.

[C]

No, you going.

[A]

All right.

[C]

Well, where is it?

[A]

In there. In the bedroom.

[C]

Where's the gun?

[A]

In there, too.

[C]

All right. You go sit over there a minute.

[A]

Where?

[C]

Over there. Sit down on the couch if you want.

[A]

All right. I think I ought to sit down and.

[C]

Okay. Tyler. Yes, sir? Use your foot to push it all the way open. Okay, son. Robert, stay there. Keep an eye on it. Yes, She shot him all right, but good. Okay. Double barrel shotgun. We'll leave it later. Yes, okay. She was good.

[A]

See? You know what I mean?

[C]

Yeah, I see. $1. Ringing Tyler, tell him what we got. Yes, sir. Right away. Sonny, Close that door. Gets it.

[A]

Is he dead?

[C]

I think so. Yeah.

[A]

Well, he couldn't say. I didn't warn him. I've warned him over and over again. That'll be in my favor, won't it? That I warn him.

[C]

Lady, take my word for it. You'll need a lot more than that in your favor. On instructions of Sergeant Waters, Patrolman Tyler went downstairs to the street and walked to the police call box. From there, he notified Lt. Gorman, the desk officer of the Homicide. Lt. Gorman, in turn, immediately informed the 21st Detective Squad and the Manhattan Communications Bureau. He then rang into my office and gave me what information he had obtained. I instructed him to have a car come by the station house to take me to the scene. As I walked out into the muster room, detectives Novak and McInerney, who were on their way, stopped long enough to tell me that Lieutenant Matt King, the commander of the 21st Squad, had been called at his home. As is required in all homicides and all other serious crimes. In the meantime, the Communications Bureau dispatched an ambulance to the scene and notified the Manhattan east homicide squad, the New York County District Attorney's office, the medical examiner, the Photographic Bureau of bci, and because a firearm was used, the Ballistics Bureau. In addition, six patrolmen from the 21st were sent to control the crowd of curious people who always gather on the sidewalk and to keep back behind their doors other tenants of the building awakened by the excitement.

[A]

We're lost. I'm gonna pull over and ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're looking to get to the campground.

[B]

Well, you're gonna take a left at the old oak tree end of this here road. No, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.

[A]

How are you getting a signal out here?

[B]

T Mobile and US Cellular decided to merge. So the network out here is huge. We're getting the same great signal as the city and saving a boatload with all the benefits. Oh, and a five year price guarantee. Okay, here's those directions.

[A]

Actually, can you point us in the direction of a T Mobile store?

[C]

America's best network just got bigger.

[B]

Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out.

[C]

Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stores.

[B]

Best mobile network based on analysis by Oogle of speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 bigger network. The combination of T Mobile's and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details.

[C]

When I arrived and started up the stairs to the second floor, an ambulance attendant from the Beth David Hospital passed me as he. I continued on up. Hold down there, Vaquero. Eisman. Yes, Sergeant. Get a 95 tag out of your car and bring it up here. Hello, Sergeant.

[A]

What'd you say, sergeant?

[C]

Captain. A 95 tag. Get one out of your car and bring it up here.

[A]

Okay, Sergeant.

[C]

What'd the ambulance attendant have to say? DOA, captain. Who's here? Only Novak and McInenny of the 21st squad so far, Captain. Nobody's got here from the homicide squad yet. Want to take a look around? Yeah, back there. Oh, just a second, Captain. Now listen you people, you were told to get inside your places and stay there. Now get back in there. There's nothing to see here. That's just the way the door was standing open when we came up the stairs. Huh? That's her sitting on the couches. You want to talk to a captain in A minute. Let's see in there first. Yes, sir. They've got two kids, you know. Where are they? At a fresh air camp. Girl, 10 and boy, 7. Rough, you know. She told me he came home about midnight. Said he was about two thirds drunk. Yeah? He said he started after her, started to beat him. She ran in here, into the bedroom, closed the door and pushed that chair up against it. She started pounding on it, told him not to come in. Then she said he started pounding on the door harder. Went to the closet there and got the gun. She warned if he came in, she was gonna shoot him. Finally pushed a chair out from under the doorknob and came in. She fired, fell right there. That's her story. Her aim was sure good. Yes, sir. All right, let's talk to her. Yes? Hello, Captain Tyler, Mrs. Whale. This is Captain Kennelly, Commanding Officer of the precinct. You want to tell me how this happened, Ms. Wheel?

[A]

I told him how it happened. The sergeant here and the detectives asked me. I told them how it happened. I don't feel like telling it anymore.

[C]

You're going to have to tell it a lot more times, Mrs. Wheel. What's your first name, Mrs. Wheel?

[A]

Eva.

[C]

How do you spell the last name? W, E, A, L, D. Your husband's name is Joe?

[A]

Yes, that's right.

[C]

I understand you have two children.

[A]

Yes, Margaret and Joseph Jr. How old are they? She's 10. The boy's 7.

[C]

Where are they?

[A]

They left Monday for Fresh Air camp. They've been going for two years now. The country tonight does them a lot of good.

[C]

What happened tonight?

[A]

Well, he was out drinking. He's an electrician. Gets off work 4:30 in the afternoon. He didn't show up for supper and didn't show up all night. Came home about 1134, 12, something like that. All I asked him was where he was on. And he started to push me to his own. I said, well, Joe, I'm not going to stand being pushed around anymore. So I fought back a little bit, I said. He stopped him. He pushed me around some more. So I ran him in, in the bedroom. I closed the door and I put the chair behind it. And he started hitting on the door. And I yelled to him. I yelled, joe, you're not going to touch me. You're not going to put your hands on me. He said he was going to kill me. So I went to the closet and got out the shotgun. And I said to him, I yelled to the door, I yelled, joe, if you come in here, I'm going to kill you. I'm going to shoot you. So he did and I did.

[C]

How did you learn to shoot?

[A]

Oh, I knew. He showed me. He always wanted to take me duck hunting. He always wanted me to go with him, but I never did. He just showed me how to use the gun.

[C]

Was that the first time you ever fired him?

[A]

Yes, that was the first time. Listen, what can they do to me?

[C]

Do you know?

[A]

I've got two kids to take care of. Can you tell me what they're gonna do to me?

[C]

We don't decide that, Ms. Mrs. Wheeled. We just find out what happened and report it to the district attorney. He takes it up with the courts. We have nothing to say about what they do with you.

[A]

Oh, he would have killed me if I didn't do it. You don't know him. He got wild, really wild, all the time. You can ask anybody, Anybody in the building here. They'll tell you.

[C]

Yes, well, we'll find out all about it. What?

[A]

His mother. Who's going to tell her? I don't want to do it. I don't want that job.

[C]

Where does she live?

[A]

A couple blocks from here, that's all. On York Avenue.

[C]

What's her name?

[A]

Mrs. Wheel, too. Isabelle Wheel. Who's gonna tell her? Will somebody from the police department do it?

[C]

Yes, somebody from the police department will do it.

[A]

That's good. I wouldn't have nerve to face her.

[C]

You had the nerve to shoot her son.

[A]

I know, but that's different.

[C]

Now back to 21st Precinct and Captain Kennelli. Within a few minutes, two detectives from the Manhattan East Homicide Squad and a photographer arrived. Pictures of the body and the surrounding conditions were made from every possible angle. Lt. King, the ranking officer of the detective division on the job, began to dictate to a stenographer from the homicide squad an accurate description of the body, its position in the room, and all other physical details that might later be needed as evidence for before the grand jury or in court. A deputy medical examiner appeared. And while he was making his examination of the body, a detective from the Ballistics Bureau arrived to take custody of the shotgun used in the homicide. The deputy medical examiner made a preliminary report that death was due apparently to a shotgun charge in the chest and ordered the body taken to Bellevue for an autopsy. While awaiting the arrival of the morgue wagon, a detective took fingerprints of the deceased. And finally, Patrolman Elton Tyler, the first officer on the scene, made a search of the body, removed all property except clothing, and placed a UF95 identification tag around the wrist. The body was then Removed to the morgue. Meanwhile, detectives of the 21st Squad and the Homicide Squad began the investigation by questioning Mrs. Weald and some of her neighbors. At ten minutes past two in the morning, when all that could be accomplished, scene of the homicide was done, Lt. King ordered Mrs. Wheel taken to the station house. As Patrolman Tyler, the arresting officer, and Detective Novak accompanied her to the 21st Squad office on the second floor, Lt. King leaned against the filing cabinet and watched the matter. Over here, Mrs. Wil.

[A]

Where? Over here. Do you want me?

[C]

Yes, that's right. Look. Hello, Luke. We met over at your place. Almost 10 o'.

[A]

Clock.

[C]

Come into my office, please. Call back. Mac. Let's go. Yes, Sir. Yes, inside, Mrs. Wilson. Just have a seat right there.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Yeah, that's fine. Shut the door, Tyler. Yes, Mrs. Wheel. You know you're in serious trouble.

[A]

I don't. Here. I really don't care.

[C]

There are a few things I'd like to get straight.

[A]

I told you everything I remember.

[C]

Mrs. Weald, I'm interested to know how your husband could chase you around the house, threaten to beat you up, threaten to kill you, throw furniture at you, pound on the door. I'd like to know how he could do all these things and be so quiet about it. None of your neighbors on either side of you, or upstairs or downstairs heard a thing. How do you account for them?

[A]

I don't know how to account for it.

[C]

All that racket he was making, chasing you around, throwing, threatening you. Seems probable that someone should have heard it, doesn't it?

[A]

Well, when I fired the shotgun, that made a lot of noise. Nobody heard that either, didn't, did they? You didn't find anybody heard that?

[C]

I'd like you to tell me something else.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

When this officer here came up the stairs, when he came up with Sergeant Waters, the door to the bedroom was closed almost all the way. Isn't that right, Tyler? Yes, sir, Lieutenant. That's right. Sergeant had me use my foot to open it the rest of the way. You didn't want me to touch the doorknob. Mrs. Wills, did you close that door when you came out of the bedroom?

[A]

I don't know. I don't remember.

[C]

No, it was closed.

[A]

It was closed. I must have closed it.

[C]

Mrs. Will, there's something else I'd like to get straight, please.

[A]

I'm very tired. It's awfully late. It's the middle of the night.

[C]

I'm tired, too. Mrs. Wills, we're all here at this hour on account of you.

[A]

All right.

[C]

What I was going to ask about Is this. It's not very clear exactly when your husband got home. What time was it?

[A]

I told you, 11:30, quarter to 12. And he was drunk? Very drunk.

[C]

You're sure it wasn't early?

[A]

I'm positive.

[C]

Well, I'm not so positive. Mrs. Weald, do you know Mr. Doyle who lives in your building? On the top floor?

[A]

What's he got to do with it?

[C]

Mr. Doyle says he was coming down the stairs. He was on his way out for a paper and he passed your husband going up. Doyle said that was about 10 o'. Clock.

[A]

I don't care what Mr. Doyle says.

[C]

Doyle says he distinctly remembers the time he waited until the end of a radio program before he went out for a paper.

[A]

Oh, they don't care what Mr. Doyle said. Joe didn't get home till 11:30 or quarter to 12. Besides, what difference does it make? I told you I killed him. There's no argument about that. Isn't it?

[C]

No.

[A]

Told you I didn't. I told you why I didn't.

[C]

But I can't understand why nobody heard it. Why nobody heard either the fight or the shot.

[A]

Honey, they're all deaf. Listen, what about my kids? What happens to them? Somebody gonna go up to the fresh air camp after them? Or maybe they better stay there. That'd probably be best.

[C]

Probably. You have anyone that could take care of them?

[A]

No, I've got nobody. Nobody at all.

[C]

What about your mother in law?

[A]

Did somebody tell her?

[C]

I've got a detective out trying to locate her.

[A]

Isn't she home?

[C]

I don't know. I haven't heard back from the detective.

[A]

Well, she should be home. Where else could she go? Look what Tyler is. It's too sturdy almost.

[C]

Well, this detective had other things. I don't know whether he got to her yet. This same detective was in a bar and grill down the block from where you live. You know the one I mean. Your husband used to spend a little time in there.

[A]

I know the one you mean.

[C]

This detective talked to the bartender. Now the bartender told him something that checks out, Mr. Doyle, pretty close from the time that your husband got home. Bartender said he remembers. Your husband left the place about a quarter to 10 in the pouring rain. Thundering and lightning and the pouring rain. You said he was drunk and nasty, didn't you?

[A]

He's always drunk and nasty when he comes out of there.

[C]

Yes, the bartender said something like that. But he said it was quarter to 10.

[A]

He might have left here a quarter of 10. But he didn't get home till 11:30 or quarter to 12.

[C]

But where did he go for two hours?

[A]

How should I know where he went? He came home and we got in his fight and I didn't ask him. I didn't care. Please. Now, I'm tired. I'm tired of answering questions. I've been asking questions almost all night. Now. I killed him. I told you I killed him. What else is to it?

[C]

There's a lot to it. Mrs. Wield. Why you killed him is very important.

[A]

I killed him because he was coming after me.

[C]

Did you love him?

[A]

I hated him. I really hated him. But I didn't kill him because I hated him. I killed him because I was afraid he was going to kill me.

[C]

Now, Mrs. Wheel, let's be honest, huh?

[A]

I'm being honest.

[C]

The medical examiner said he'd been dead for at least an hour before midnight, probably more.

[A]

How could he tell that?

[C]

Well, he can tell all right. Even if it was so, you know it's so.

[A]

I do not.

[C]

You know that he came home about 10 o' clock but you had your fight then that you killed him. Then you know it was thundering and lightning out, you know, that's apparently why nobody heard the shot. Now, isn't that true? Wasn't it around 10 o' clock that you fired that shotgun at him?

[A]

Can I smoke? Has anybody got a cigarette?

[C]

Wasn't it?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Have one of these.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

Like a light? Yes,

[A]

Thanks.

[C]

Now, why did you tell us you killed him about midnight when it Was really about 10 o'?

[A]

Clock?

[C]

I don't.

[A]

Tom's trying to. Silly, I guess. As long as I killed him, why should I try to keep it a secret?

[C]

What did you do between 10 o' clock and nearly 12:30? He came downstairs and told the officer.

[A]

I just sat there. I just sat there in the room. Just sat there and thought about the 11 years I've been married to him, kids in the place we live in, him being drunk all the time. His mother

[C]

told about it for two hours. You just sat and thought?

[A]

No. Not all the time. Sometimes I just sat. I didn't think.

[C]

Were you worried that you killed him or sorry?

[A]

I wasn't sorry. I wasn't even worried.

[C]

Not at all.

[A]

I just couldn't think of anything that I could say to his mother. It tried to think of something to tell her, but I couldn't think of a thing.

[C]

So I just.

[A]

That's it.

[C]

For over two hours? Your husband's body in the next room.

[A]

Well, yeah. But the important thing was I couldn't think of anything to tell his mother.

[C]

I don't wonder I don't see what there is. You could tell her. The interrogation of Mrs. Weald continued. In the meantime, I had been out on patrol of the precinct at 1am A fire truck responding to an alarm had collided with a taxicab on Lexington Avenue and two firemen were slightly injured. I had been out with the battalion chief of the fire department looking over the scene of the accident and assisted him in gathering the information he needed for his report. It was after 4am when I returned to the station house where Lt. Gorman was desk officer and Sgt. Waters was on telephone switchboard duty. As I. I walked around to Sign the block 20 place preaching. Sergeant Waters. Sergeant. Hello, Captain. Red. What's doing? Nothing much, Captain. All right, bring them in. Oh, did they book that Mrs. Weild on the homicide yet? No, sir, not yet. Lieutenant. Yes. Coley's on his way into the house with a set of keys left in the ignition of a parked car. Okay. All right, Ren. That's a good Captain. All right, Cody. Come on in with the keys, Sergeant. Oh, yes, sir. Captain, we got somebody on a fixer tonight over where that upholstery company fire was. Yes, sir. Underwood is on a job that far.

[A]

I'd like to talk to you if you don't mind.

[C]

We'll have to make inquiries over here, ma'. Am.

[A]

I don't want to make inquiries. I want to talk to him. The captain, lady.

[C]

The desk officer will take care of you. The lieutenant.

[A]

I saw a lieutenant upstairs. He didn't give me any satisfaction. I want to talk to a captain. You're a captain, aren't you?

[C]

Yes, that's right.

[A]

I'm Mrs. Wheels. Mrs. Isabelle Wheels. It was my son she shot. She shot him in cold blood.

[C]

Well, the case is in the hands of the detectives, Mrs. Wheels.

[A]

I don't care whose hand it's in. That lieutenant upstairs wouldn't give me any satisfaction. So I want to talk to you.

[C]

What is it you want to talk to me about, Mrs. Will.

[A]

They wouldn't let me talk. Talk to her. They wouldn't even let me see her.

[C]

Now, what's the necessity in seeing her?

[A]

She killed my son, didn't she?

[C]

There's an investigation in progress, Mrs. Will.

[A]

That Lieutenant had her up there in that little office upstairs, and he wouldn't even let me go in and talk to her.

[C]

You can see her in court tomorrow morning.

[A]

Tomorrow morning I'll be busy making funeral arrangements and busy getting those children, my grandchildren, out of that fresh air camp in cold blood. And he wouldn't even Let me give her a piece of my mind. I told him the first time he brought her home to meet me. I told him he was making a big mistake to think about marrying her. Mrs. Weaver, I could have predicted this. I could have predicted it 10 years ago that something like this would happen. Poor children. And poor me. To raise a boy so this fit. You live down in court.

[C]

Look, there's no use Talking to me, Mrs.

[A]

When that detective knocked on my door and told me who it was, I knew something like this had happened. She was out to do this. You can just write that down in your little book.

[C]

Did you tell all this to the detectives?

[A]

Of course I told it to the detectives. I told them how he wouldn't go home from work. How he'd come to my house and I'd tell him that she was going to do this. He wouldn't believe me. I'd sit him down and I'd give him a drink. And I'd tell him what she was like. I had to keep a bottle of whiskey, especially in the house, for him. In cold blood. And those poor children. The most gorgeous children you ever saw. He looked just like their grandfather.

[C]

Mrs. Weald, it's 4:00 clock in the morning almost. I'd suggest that you go home.

[A]

And there she comes. I want to talk to her now.

[C]

Mrs. Wheel, they're going to book her. You can't talk to her now.

[A]

I have my right.

[C]

You don't have a right to talk to her now. All right. Just stand in there. Closer to the railing. Yes, that's right.

[A]

Beyond me how you can treat anyone like that. With decency, like a human being.

[C]

Name is Eva Weald, Lieutenant. W, E, A L D. That's right, yes.

[A]

I wish you would use your mate's name.

[C]

Mrs. Weald, if you don't stop interfering, I'll have to ask you to leave the station house. 3145 first. Amen.

[A]

Is my son my baby. The baby of my family. That's not interfering.

[C]

8:31. Haven't been out for a meal yet, Kent? No, not yet. Ma'. Am.

[A]

I'd like you to tell the captain why I couldn't see her upstairs. I'd like you to tell him what you told me. Go on, tell him what you told me.

[C]

It's not necessary for him to tell me. Mrs. Wheel, you have no right to interfere and interview a suspect. During the course of the interview investigation.

[A]

I'll see what my rights are.

[C]

Will, you'll be taken to the 19th Precinct where they have cells for female prisoners.

[A]

I don't care. She don't care about anything.

[C]

You'll be taking the felony court in the morning. Meantime, you're entitled to have us make three telephone calls.

[A]

There's nobody I want to call. There's nobody that would talk to her. All right.

[C]

Wait in the back room with Ital. Yes, sir. Right this way, Ms. Will.

[A]

Well, how do you like that? She didn't even have the least say hello to me. Not even the decency to do that after she shot down my son in cold blood.

[C]

The way she described it, Mrs. Wield, it wasn't exactly cold blood.

[A]

No. I'd like to know what it was then.

[C]

Well, that's up to the courts to determine.

[A]

Not they know. To kill a woman's son like that was the same as if she taken that gun and aimed it to me just the same.

[C]

A good thing you want there, Mrs. Weild. She might have done just that. 21st. Preaching Sergeant Waters sitting on a ledge where a man or a woman. Yeah, yeah. What floor? What floor? Well, if she threatened to jump. Yeah, yeah. And so it goes. Around the clock, through the week, every day, every year. The police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood merry go round. Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone. 21st Precinct, a factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolman's Benevolent association, an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York. Everett Sloan on the role of Captain Kennelly. Ken lynch as Lieutenant King. Harold Stone as Sergeant Waters. Written and directed by Stanley Nist. Produced for CBS Radio by John Ives. ART Hannah speaking. 21st Precinct has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.