- Friday and Smith search for a missing boy. The first sign that the case is serious is when blood is found. Further probing reveals the boy's parents had purchased him a .22-caliber rifle for Christmas -- and the weapon is missing, removed from its wrapped package.—Bill Koenig
- Synopsis - The Big .22 Rifle Aired 12-18-52 Friday, Smith are working the night-watch out of Homicide Division, on December 22nd ; the boss is Captain Lohrman, a call came reporting a nine-year-old boy was missing and foul play was suspected. Officer Doherty calls Homicide, blood stains were found in the yard where the boy was playing, about two hours have passed since he was last seen.
Friday, Smith visit the Johnstone house, where the boy was playing. Officer Doherty, juvenile-officer, met them there, with forensics-officer, Ray Pinker. The boy's mother said she went Christmas shopping, when she returned, the boy was gone. The boy's name is Stanley Johnstone, nine. While at the scene, Ray tests the blood stains found on the patio. Ray says it is definitely blood; tests in the lab will determine if it is animal or human. Friday turns over an empty tin can, recovering a .22 caliber cartridge, marking it for evidence. The neighbors were questioned, no information was obtained.
Officers Levinson and Doherty help search for the missing boy; Friday, Smith go inside the house to talk with Mrs. Johnstone, the missing boy's mother. The boy has been gone for about four hours, according the mother. She felt it was Stan wanting to be on his own for a while, but she is worried, because he has never been gone this long before now. Mrs. Johnstone called all Stan's friends and places where he liked to be, nothing turned up, nobody reported seeing him today. Friday asks for a list of the friends. The father, George Johnstone, is a fireman, he is at work, scheduled to be home tomorrow morning. She calls her husband at work, asking if Stanley is with him, reporting there are two policemen at the house. She says her husband owns a .45 pistol he had from serving in the war. The only other gun is gift-wrapped, a .22 rifle George was giving Stan as a Christmas gift. She goes to the closet to retrieve the rifle, finding the opened gift box, the rifle is missing. Friday examines the opened gift box, the box reads bolt-action, repeating, .22 rifle.
They talked with Doherty again, the search team had turned nothing. Friday calls HQ, Ray Pinker reports the blood is human, he is awaiting the blood-type from the group report. He talks to the Captain; there is also an eight-year-old boy missing. Friday says Ray wanted to know Stanley's blood type. It is six-thirty PM, Doherty said the eight-year-old's name was Steven Martin. The Martin boy was reported missing, and a report went out to look for both boys. Johnstone's family doctor said Stanley's blood-type was O.
At seven PM, Friday, Smith talked with Mrs. John Martin. She is worried. The Martin boy's blood-type is also O. Friday calls Ray Pinker, reporting the blood types are both O. Friday tells Smith, the blood grouping yielded type O blood found at the scene.
Eight PM, still no sign of the missing boys. At eight-thirty, Friday, Smith talked to both Johnstone's, George Johnstone had quit work early to be at home, he could add no more than what already known by police. The information about the blood stains had not been shared with any parent. Friday, Smith thought it was proper not to add to the distress of the parents by telling of the spent cartridge or the blood stains. If both boys were found unharmed, the information would of no concern to the relieved parents. At eight-forty PM, Friday, Smith left the Johnstone house and returned to the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Martin. Mrs. Martin tells the officers, John Martin will close his market early, and be home in about fifteen minutes. She had looked again, not finding any sign of the boys. Doherty is at the Martin front door, he tells Friday the Johnstone kid had been found.
Friday, Smith go to the Johnstone residence. Mrs. Johnstone says Stanley is acting very strange. Stan returned home, sat in the chair, not speaking to either parent, just staring at the floor. Friday asks her if they might speak to him. Friday gets Stan to speak. He says he killed Steve with the .22. I know he is dead. I hid him. Friday talks Stanley Johnstone into showing where he hid Steve Martin, in the backyard of the Johnstone home. Friday, Smith follow Stan to the location of the wagon he moved the body, further in the back, they were lead to the body of Steven Martin, in a small clump of trees, according to Friday's narration. There was a single bullet wound in his chest, near his heart, he was dead. Stanley tells the police officers they were playing, it was Steve's turn to hold the gun, he tripped over a nearby stump, the rifle fired the shot by accident into Steve's chest. Stanley tells the police he was chasing Steve, when he tripped, the gun went off. Stanley explains to Friday, it was his gun, Steve would be alive, if Stan didn't go get the gun. Friday asks where he was all this time. He replies, he was in back, with Steve, praying for God to make him alive again.
After a thorough investigation, Friday states the shooting was accidental. The coroner was called, details were explained of the incident, permission was granted to move the body of the boy to the Martin's home. Friday, Smith await John Martin to come home. John Martin walks in through the front door, a somber Friday tells Mr. Martin his son is hurt pretty bad. John Martin realizes his son is dead, he asks for the officers to accompany him into the other room, to view the body of his son.
John Martin enters his son's bedroom, kneels down to his son, lying on his own bed, saying he has a lot of nice things for him for Christmas, as he is with his son, he is crying. He continues to talk about the specific gifts, they bought him, as tears flow from his grief. Friday tries to console him, telling of the accident with the company of the Johnstone boy, Stanley. Martin heads out the front door, hurrying to see that other boy. Martin goes to the Johnstone's, Mrs. explains the gun was a gift, Martin insists on seeing the boy, Friday nods approval to Mrs. Johnstone, to allow Martin to see Stan.
Martin tells Stanley, he knows it wasn't his fault. He has a lot of presents for Stevie, he knows Stevie would want you to have them. Martin says he will give the presents to him Christmas Eve, Stanley gets his mother's approval to accept the generous offering. Martin stares at Stanley and Mrs. Johnstone, Friday leaves with Smith. On the front step, door closed behind them, Frank asks Joe, what's it all prove Joe? Friday replies, you don't give a kid a gun for Christmas.
On December 24th, a Coroner's Inquest was held at the County Morgue. The Coroner's jury ruled the result of Steven Martin's death was an accident. Stanley Johnstone was absolved of any legal responsibility for his friend's death.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content