deep in the woods, a family lives in fear. >> what're you gonna do if they come back, a threat from strangers. >> danny

will protect us. >> that he won't let anything bad happen to you. >> so when the strangers arrive, a father takes matters into his own hands. >> you hear crack, crack, crack. >> the terror, the bullets. this is like -- >> glass is exploding. >> the crime scene, caught on camera. >> anybody in the vehicle in bc are. hands >> it was bad, worse than anything i'd ever seen in my life. >> i cried for my dad. >> was this a murder? >> every day i think of that. >> all i could think of was my kids. what about my kids. >> it was

in the dark that the fear began, in the dark, and it grew. >> it terrorized our family, our friends. >> who was out there, in the dark? here, miles and miles in the woods. so far from safety. from civilized protection. >> they could just come, onto our property, and invade our lives. >> but on the summer night, deep in the california sierra, the terror came out of the dark. came after them. to take everything. the terrible, desperate chase. it's awful. and now the question, what really happened, out there in the dark? >> i still feel like i need to go help him. >> it looks so

innocent now. closed up, quiet, empty. here in its place at the end of 100 yard dirt track, that sneaks off this lonely country road. deep in the sierra nevada but this was not how it was. or was ever meant to be. no. before it happened, before that summer night in july of 2011, this was, well let them tell you. it's awesome it's fine. >> at one time i went through a snowball fight. and then we would come inside and eat and have some hot cocoa. >> these are the wand read children, darling is the eldest. then georgia, and little gregory. mostly they live in reno nevada. but this, at the end of a two hour drive into the woods. this was the place they live. >> we'd go on

hikes, and there's a lake that was very close. >> and we would fish. >> we would fish and swim. it was pretty much awesome. >> here they discovered the world it was far more magical, than any city could ever be. it was their fathers cabin, really. chad walden reid. chad's grandparents build the cabin in the seventies >> my children were definitely -- they've all grown up. diapers all the way through going up there. >> mind you, this was truly remote. the only electricity came from a generator. there was no cell phone service, no phone at all. which was just fine for chad's wife, carrie. >> it was very enjoyable to be away from the phones and the traffic, you know, work. >> yeah. >> this is where chad taught his children how to exist in the natural world. how to catch a fish,

swim in a mountain lake, feel safe in the dark. he's an amazing father. he loves his children so much. he is my best buddy >> he's really funny, he's really loving, and he likes people to laugh a lot. >> the children saw the world and certainly their retreat here in the country as a safe place for them. just as it should be. and keeping it that way was chad's particular preoccupation. chad worried a lot about safety. about security. which may had come in part at least in his time in the military. he was he said an army ranger, one of the elite few. a lot of that, he seemed to carry a lot of baggage. >> there is just some things i rather not talk about. and things that i've tried to get over. i guess. >> carrie didn't pry, let him deal with it. only join himself with the

lord. he loves his country. he fought for our freedom. it means a lot to him. >> and now, between the children and whatever was out there in the woods, were only their parents. the nearest sheriff's office worth almost an hour drive away. >> you had to be your own policeman. that was how you felt? >> yes. we have to protect ourselves. there was nobody else to protect us. and out here that was no worry. break-ins are not uncommon in the isolated cabins in the wilderness. and there's -- >> all the cabins have been broken in. numerous amount of times. >> one of the most recent ones, somebody just pretty much ransacked the whole place. >> there's something very invasive about that, invading a property that's yours, and take something of yours. >> it is. it's not just invasive, it robs you of security. >> security was why chad gave carrie a

revolver. he taught her how to use it. and stocked the cabin with guns. including a favorite, his ar-15. just like his military weapon. security and pleasure. >> what is the attraction of those? >> i think it's just the fun and shooting them. it just -- you know -- being able to put a 30 round magazine, set up a target, and go out. >> chad planted signs at the end of his property out by the road. stern warnings to would be vandals and thieves. and he watched vigilantly. didn't rest easy. especially because one of those break-ins have been just that very year. >> and if he didn't fall asleep, it was very likely that every noise would wake you up. very easily. >> then the 4th of july weekend, 2011. the waldens were joined by some friends who set up a little campsite near the road. >> just enjoying each other's country, the singing.

>> early on that saturday morning, chad was jolted awake. all of a sudden i heard all this, yelling and commotion, and it sounded like somebody was fighting. and i looked out and they saw this spot light being shined all over the place. and i was, like what the heck is going on? and then i walked out, and as i'm looking down, this car goes speeding away. >> chad hopped in his truck, drove to the end of the driveway. >> and that's when i noticed one of the lights had been taken, the solar lights. one of several attached to the poll marking the edge of the property. a cheap item, but still. >> why would somebody want one of those? >> i don't know. >> when morning came, chad inspected his friends campsite near the bottom of the property. those footprints left by strangers around their trailer. >> they put us on edge. basically, tyler. >> the

commotion, the stolen light, the footprints of people who have no business being there, the children picked up the anxiety. >> i remember asking my dad, and mom, what are you going to do if they come back? and what would happen if somebody got hurt? >> to witness your children scared like that, and insecure, as a parent you--. and that's how i felt. as a father. as a person who's supposed to protect their family. and all i can do is offer words. honey, if they come back, that he will protect you, that he will take care of it. >> the promise, he intended to keep. >> coming up, what happens next would change all of their lives. i picked up the pistol, that was in my cup holder, and pointed out the window. >> when dateline continues. a felt anything but normal.

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now cell phone users have priority over us. and your marriage survived that? you can almost feel the drag when people walk by with their phones. oh i can't hear you... you're froze-- ladies, please! you put it on airplane mode when you pass our house. i was trying to work. we're workin' it too. yeah! work it girl! woo! i want to hear you say it out loud. well, i could switch us to xfinity. those smiles. that's why i do what i do. >> saturday morning, july 4th that and the paycheck.

weekend, 2011. chad wallen reed and his family were on edge. strangers had come very close, in the middle of the night, strangers who stole a solar light. leaving tracks around in their property. and suddenly the cabin felt more remote, the woods, less like home. and the children. >> they asked, what if they come back and come all the way up to the cabin? what if? >> and what did you say? >> daddy will protect us. that he won't let anything bad happen to you. that was, just scary. it was scary to me. >> then that afternoon, -- carrie looked out the window. and there was a jeep heading up along the driveway. driven by a young man she had not known. >>

he sat there for a while. like he was looking around for something. i told the kids to stay down. out of sight, so they wouldn't be seen. >> was he lost? looking for help? >> she took no chances, she reached for the gun, chad had taught her how to use. >> i have my revolver, and i was headed towards the door. >> and then, whoever it was, backed up and drove away. >> so what did that do to your level of anxiety that weekend? >> it was really high? >> that evening, still on it, carrie and the kids watch a movie and fell asleep on the couch. chad left outside with his friends, will -- >> we were just sitting on the porch. >> the story of what happened next, is both complex and as you see, disputed. which is why we had shot our own

video to help us illustrate events. it was nine or 10 pm said chad, when his friends noticed the car. >> and then they said, he just shut off his headlights and pulled up around the driveway. >> what was going on? the car the night before, the jeep that came out the driveway, that very afternoon. and now strangers were out there again. >> i picked up the ar that was sitting right there next to me, his ar-15 bushmaster, he fired a warning shot. and then i just remember seeing some guy running away. >> but would a warning be enough? these had to be the same man who came the night before. now here they were a second time. these guys were bad news. >> i said, i'm gonna try to catch up to these guys, go get them, go catch them, get their license plates or get their information, or something. because it was apparent that this was more than just, we're here to play a joke around with you. >> chad jumped in his car and chased them, barreled up the twisty muddy road up to 50 miles an

hour. >> as it was coming up behind them, somebody leaned out the passenger side of the vehicle, and was shining a really powerful spotlight, just blinding. and then the next thing you know, as i'm looking up, i see these three flashes, and then i hear crack crack crack. it was the sound of, you know, gunfire. >> the sound chad knew very well. even in the army, you remember. >> what did you do? >> i picked up the pistol that was in my cup holder chamber, and pointed out the window, and let off a few rounds. >> did you hit anything? >> not that i could tell, no. >> someone in the car ahead threw solar lights out the window. then waved something. >> like a piece of plastic, something shiny, flying out, hanging out the window. and we kept on proceeding. >> back in the cabin, carrie made tents on the couch. her three kids, sleeping beside her. >> i was

just like, in my mind thinking, where are you? come home. >> you know is everything okay i hope everything is okay. >> chad was still in hot pursuit. 7.6 miles they went careening up the widening country road until the car took a quick turn on to a remote road. chad right behind. >> we did some fish tails, they slid the car, and at one point we crash the door to start an open up, these guys are going to get out, they're going to come at me. >> the dirt road, empty, into a meadow. the car suddenly made a 180. >> and it looked like they were coming straight at you? >> they were looking like it was going to be an assault. >> right. >> where they going to shoot him? ram him? what? >> in the military, and in police, that's what we call an

excavation tactic. until somebody either backs down or threats neutralize. the other car kept coming. chad grab the ar-15. >> and i just kept it out the window, and fired out. >> what were they compared to? you they were coming this way? >> they were right beside me. >> right. >> right. >> how many shots? >> i don't recall, i just. >> let it go? >> right. >> chad watched his enemy side window blowup, glass rained down on the metal. the strangers carved beard across the grass. and came to rest on the dirt road. >> i drove over to, and i was yelling at them, and i just remember this young voice, saying that i give a, i give a, like about. sorry. >> please don't kill me. >> it doesn't make you feel good to have somebody pleading and begging for their life. >> chad

protected fury lesson for a moment. but then -- >> i remember him yelling. i have a three month old daughter. and i also could think of is my kids. thinking, you're yelling at me about your daughter, and look what you just did. what about my kids? did you ever consider my kids? >> who were these men in the car? what did they want? here in the dark, miles from nowhere, what had just happened? and what was about to? >> coming up. back home, chad faces the reality of what's happened. >> i just remember this lost look on her face. and i was just saying i'm sorry. when dateline continues. late just press firmly and it continuously

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mountain meadow in california's, high sierra, is ar-15 at the ready. read, approach the car full of men he believed had been terrorizing. him jim and his wife, and his children. law he carried his rightful, just like the army trained him. >> i was at the ready. i kept

thinking -- then he any moments i've seen his hands, and vehicle. >> this is the card chad shot at. as he checked out the inside, clearing it as they see in the military, he saw the driver had been hit. he was hunched over the steering wheel. and then when i got into the driver side of the vehicle, he was laid back. and his head was down. i didn't check for a pulse, or anything like that. but there was a bullet wound in his neck. >> was anyone else wounded? also >> at that point in time ended >> nor the chad know any of the men in the car. who they were, why they'd approached home. but once he saw they no longer posed a threat, he said, he told the man he do what he could to find help for. them >> i said i'm going to go call the sheriff. >> then he drove the seven and a half mile, back to his. cabin

>> as you're driving back, as you know trying to figure out with the whole you've done. what was going in your heart, your mind, your soul. >> an assessment. >> yes? >> somebody is either dead or dying. something very serious is happening here. what steps do we go through? >> none of that drive was occupied with the, oh my god, what the hell have i don? >> no. no. >> when he pulled into the driveway. chad was greeted by his friends. they had seen him race off into the night. now, he told him what happened. >> i told them that i caught up to him. they shot at me. i shot back. and i think i killed one of them. and at first everybody was like, a, just laughing and stuff. and i said no, i think i killed one of them. >> chad's wife carrie, up in the cabin with the kids, couldn't tell what chad was saying at that time. >> it felt like much longer than it actually was to get out of the truck and to come inside the cabin. and then he came inside. >> and then she said, what happened? i took off after them, and i think i killed one of them. >> he was so upset. he

looked as if he continued to talk, that he would not be able to maintain any composure whatsoever. >> and i just remember, just remember looking at me, i couldn't tell with the look was about. whether it was a relief from her or it was a who are you? i mean it was some kind of like accusation, i guess. and i just remember this lost look on her face, i've never seen in my entire life. and i was just saying i'm sorry. i'm sorry. >> but, what

should he do? chad wasn't exactly sure. he turned to his friend, jason. >> i was thinking, well maybe i could go back, and one of us can go make a phone call, and one of us could go back and help. and eventually they were saying no going back would be a terrible idea. they said we need to go and call 9-1-1. >> remember, the cabin didn't have a telephone. so carrie got dressed and then she and chad and her friend, drove the winding road down the mountain towards the main highway. perhaps nine miles down, hunting for a spot with cell phone reception. >> we had to drive in clear almost three quarters away down to where i normally get reception, and i called out, i got him through, and right as i was talking to the lady, the call drop. and then i had to drive down a little bit further, we were able to make a call out there. >> hello how can i help? you >>

yes i need to report to. shooting >> a shooting? >> of course the dispatch was like, what's your address? >> well there's no address. >> where you? >> i am in plume's county. >> he was concerned he said. about getting help for the wounded. >> in my mind, was how are they going to find these individuals? how are they going to get there to help them? they're the middle of nowhere in a dirt road? >> this northern stretch of this year in nevada, there's an up and down rideau rivers, mountain deeps. difficult to forge, and far from any town. the few deputies on patrol, are scattered over a vast wilderness, and so it's not altogether surprising, that one of the first log responds to check a 9-1-1 call, turned out to be a game warden. >> what is surprising is who was riding with him, a photographer of all people. one of the first to reach the scene of the shooting. and the images he captured >> it was bad. worse than anything you've seen in a movie i'll tell you that. >>

coming up. >> the horrifying real life scenes, the first responders found. >> i just remember seeing his hand come out of the grass. >> when dateline continues. in it was just claire and i. she was still recovering from her brain surgery. and side effects of that surgery meant that she had to relearn how to walk and how to speak. ♪♪ [ male announcer ] you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research hospital. two months after we arrived, my three-year-old came to visit, and claire lit up. she was quiet before. and i thought it was just because cancer's hard, but she was really missing her siblings, and i didn't realize how much. all right, young lady. we're going to see how much you weigh, and how tall you are real quick. ♪♪

mama. hey, claire. [ laughter ] ♪♪ [ male announcer ] families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. when you call or go online with your credit or debit card right now, we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt you can wear to show your support to help st. jude save the lives of these children. i experienced life at st. jude. every dollar that goes to st. jude goes to a good place. it's keeping families together during the hardest thing they'll ever face. ♪♪ the first thing i'm going to do when i get home is pet my dog. ♪♪ [ woman ] st. jude saved my daughter's life. [ claire ] i love st. jude.

[ male announcer ] please call or go online right now and become a st. jude partner in hope today. here's what's happening.

legendary broadcaster barbara walters has died. walters became the first woman to anchor than evening news back in 1976. she went on to co-host 2020 and the view. she made her mark by landing big news making interview from richard nixon to monika lewandowski to fidel castro, twice. walters was 93. and southwest airlines is resuming its regular schedule after that massive storm and subsequent operational problems which led to nearly 16,000 cancellations, since december 22nd. the carrier had only canceled 43 flights on friday, that is down from 2500 on thursday. back to dateline. back to dateline

in the high sierra, the life of a game warden, is a solitary one. hours of driving along back country roads, alone. they see everything from bare poachers to pot farmers. in a spray that sometimes shoots back. that loan just to single attracted a reality show, which sent a photographer to the little town of quincy, here in lieu miss county. >> i've been in the quincy area for a couple of months. getting in all kinds of trouble with the california game wardens. >> it was the 4th of july weekend. late on a saturday night. he had been taping with the game warden since daybreak. he's ready to pack it. in then an urgent call went out, over the radio. shots fired. >> all we really knew is, some bad stuff had happened, some people have been shooting at each other, we're speeding to get there, to perhaps break

it up, perhaps stop, it perhaps save lives, you don't really know. >> they didn't know, that they were responding to the 9-1-1 call, from chad reed, after his armed confrontation with six men on a dark road running through a meadow. well racing to the scene, he in the warden met up with the sheriff's deputy. in over the radio came a new twist. two men possibly wounded, they found wandering through a campground. >> so we go to this campground sure none, we all hop out, and there's like two guys in the middle of this campground with blood on them. one of the sheriffs takes, and they cough up and take him right there. in these guys are like look, our friends are hurt. and they give us directions to where the incident occurred. >> the meadow that is. is the dirt road where the shooting took place. such replace so remote without those directions they might never have found them. as they drove through the night, they listen to the chatter on the two-way. >> it was very

chaotic. nobody knew exactly what was happening, nobody knew if there was multiple people shooting at each other. if it was two people shooting at each other. it's all these conflicting reports coming over the radio. it's really scary. >> he and the warden we're now joined by a total of three deputies. the team convoy to the meadow. geared up for a possible shootout. they found a loan vehicle, its windows blown out. >> i want you to. standup. stand >> up he shot this footage of the encounter. which later became part of the official public record. >> right away there's two guys coming towards with their hands up, one guys limping very bad. he was shot through the leg. they're both bloodying cut up. they both look really freaked out, >> then he saw something strange, poking out of the floor. >> i just remember seeing a hand come up out of the grass. >> put your hands up. >> and i was like whoa, we have a hand. he recorded everything, the warden, the deputies, arresting a wounded man. a hand poking out of the

grass. and then the young man who is connected to that hand. his right calf shredded by a bullet. he tourniquet it's leg, the sheriffs in the warden's right away saw that he had it on too tight. and he had it on too low, it was very painful, they took it off, and he was bleeding a lot. >> this badly wounded man plus the others, made five. but there was one more. >> and there is another guy in the back, see who is i guess the driver. >> he was a lot worse off. he was talking, he was moving his mouth. i could hear sounds, i couldn't make any words out. it didn't look good. >> the driver had been shot in the head. it was worse than anything you see in a movie. this was so violent. and so gory. what's happened here? sorting it out fell to detective steve bay and chris hendrickson. >> it is very confusing for all the officers responding. they were all under the impression that the suspects were in the meadow. in the car. and maybe armed, and officers treated them as such.

>> adding to the confusion, the remote location, multiple occasions. >> two gentlemen at the campground. we have four gentlemen down at the potential crime scene. and then we have this man with another detective in another. stop officers, ambulances. helicopters coming, it's very chaotic. very chaotic that night >> deputies led by sergeant -- met a few miles from the meadow. and they listen to his account of the chase. >> they started sign in the spotlight back at me. in the next thing i know, there's all these muzzle flashes. >> do you think they were firing on? yeah >> yes they were firing back at. me >> but well sergeant i was talking to chad, some of the other detectives were out here in the middle looking for the weapon or weapons. those young must have fired a chad. they searched the car, they surged around the car, they looked all around the metro, they found nothing. but then, it's a big meadow, and those are very deep in very dark woods. some of those young

men did run. they could've dumped a gun out there somewhere. but they did all run. remember the one shot in the leg. the one congressman documented with his hand stick you knopp, was found bleeding on the menu. he didn't bleed out. he survived. his name is justin lewis smith. and he's about to give his accounts of a july 4th weekend, on a dark and lonely road in the high sierra. coming up. confusion. terror, a very different story, both shots in the dark. >> the next thing i know, glass is exploding. it's just complete chaos. when dateline

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just look around. this digital age we're living in, it's pretty unbelievable. problem is, not everyone's fully living in it. nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. home internet shouldn't be a luxury. everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. so let's go. the digital age is waiting. just look around. this digital age we're living in, it's pretty unbelievable. problem is, not everyone's fully living in it. nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand.

home internet shouldn't be a luxury. everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. so let's go. this is where it ended. in a the digital age is waiting. black metro in the high sierra. barely illuminated by a pair of headlights. here's the actual video of the sheriff's deputies guns, drawn approaching the, car preparing for a possible shootout with gunman. instead, they found shooting victims. three of them. severely wounded. >> somebody makes their way over towards the car, and says, let me see your hands. >> he can be seen in the footage here. shot in the right leg. bleeding profusely. the

belt he used as a tourniquet placed just above his knee, possibly saved his life. >> at that point it's pretty obvious that it's my leg, i'm not sure how long went by maybe an hour and a half. >> there were other victims, bloody in baffling seen. who were these people, how did they provoke a violent confrontation with army vet chad, read chad and his family said they were terrorized, but that was not the story louis had to tell. lewis's version began an hours drive away in susanville california, population almost 18,000. home to two state prisons, two movie theaters, and on july 4th weekend 2011, to restless young men, in search of fun. it was lewis of course, and his very best friend, a 20-year-old junior college student named rory mcguire. >> he was the center of attention, wherever he went. >> all eyes were on rory. in fact right from the

start. that amazing shock of red hair at birth, surprising even his own mother carol. >> his name was going to be colin. and then he came out with the red hair, and i had to look through a baby name book, and i found the name rory which means red king in irish. and so, hence rory colin mcguire. >> and that red hair came with the personality to match. >> there is only one rory, and everyone knew it was. he was vivacious, he was creative. he was exciting. he was funny. he was the life of the party. >> entrepreneurial too, trying to start a mobile car washing business with a friend. >> rory had all the equipment, hid printed out business cards. he was passing out fliers, >> we would talk every day, almost every detail. laugh about little. things i always wanted a brother, and i felt like i kind of got that with rory. >> anyway that friday night, july 1st, rory in louis rejoined by

for the young men, in search of a party they heard about. >> we were looking for a friend of ours, brother, who's having a gathering, up by the lake. >> girls up there somebody said. so here's what they did. and once again, we prepared special video, this time to illustrate louis's story. in which they all squeezed into rory's car, drove to the lake, but could not find the party. >> so, they got up to a little mischief up there by the lake. with the spotlight one of them brought, the kind that plugs into a cigarette later. >> we stopped at the top of the canyon, and were shining the light down on the campsite. in a bunch of people came out yelling. they were mad, and everybody kind of got a kick out of that. >> then one of them remember some crazy warning signs, they saw by the warning by the roadside. when joe's buddies. they train the

spotlight on him. >> and one of them says, warning you are entering the r0 sea. something to do with this red blooded christians, only. others will be deadly force. will be used. >> deadly force? red blooded christians only? were they kidding? seemed almost like a dare >> one of them hopped out of the car. >> he grabs the solar light, and ripped down one of the smaller of the two signs. he comes running back, and we took off from their. >> cheap light. maybe four or five. bucks, but still. >> why do you take the? similarly did he say? >> i think it was assumed it was just some sort of random act, a vandalism. that i guess young kids would do. >> and then the noisy car full of young men, rolled back, and they all went to bed. the following evening was saturday

july 2nd. and sure enough there was a second chance. same lake, new party. >> so again, a bunch of young men piled into roy maguire's chrysler. >> and met up with two others, at the chevron gas station. where we bought, i think, a bottle of blueberry vodka, and a couple of 40 ounces of beer, to take. with us >> ok. >> and we got about halfway of the grade, and we approach the property. >> the wall room read property. suddenly, rory stop the car. and again, one of the group jumped out and stole two more solar lights. >> ten seconds past or so, and right as cesar was getting into the car. i heard, what's sounded like a gunshot. >> rory hit the gas. with somebody shooting at us? they asked the show they're. >> lewis a little freaked out, looked at the back window. >> i turned around, just to see, a

truck behind us. >> i can pretty much tell that meant business -- and right after that, i remember seeing a green laser traveling around in the car, with us. >> a green laser? a laser from a gun. >> we assumed, yes. >> it's like you can't believe. they're not gonna shoot us. >> people don't shoot out there. people >> know enough for this. >> and right after that, i heard, pop-up power, and then i heard -- >> you mean the car? >> yes. >> they tried blinding the shooter, didn't seem to help. >> meanwhile, this whole time we've been trying to call, 9-1-1. and there's no service. and someone suggests that we waive my white t-shirt out the window. >> this way maybe he'll stop. >> exactly. >> we were trying every second, to have them to stop. >> but he just kept firing? >> well throughout the whole rest of this trip, there's flurries of shots being taken at us. >> desperate now rushing along the road he did not know. >> rory suddenly took

a wrong. turn >> so, we were on the dirt road, still taking fire at different points in time, and he still chasing us. eventually, what i hear rory say is, this road just came to an abrupt stop. and so he's trying to flip around, >> trying to get away said lewis, get around the trunk, get out of the meadow. >> the next thing i know, glasses exploding. everywhere. hitting us in the head. >> was the car still moving at that? point >> yes. >> and it's just complete chaos. at that point, that was when i got shot, it felt like heat kind of came over my leg. >> when the card finally came to a stop. those who could, ran. >> i said come on rory let's go. and i looked up, and we had his face in his chest, and i'm pretty sure he said i can't. and right at that moment, i saw the laser light again.

and at that point, the gunman approached. >> coming up. was the shooter coming to finish the job? >> he starts to circle around the car. the whole while he's pointing the gun at us. >> when dateline continues. in when dateline continues. i hey, what's the lowest you'll go on one of these mugs? ah, remember -- no haggling in stores. oh, yeah, chapter six, yep. they may have read the book, but they still have a long way to go. was hoping to get your john hancock on there. well, let's just call it a signature. i noticed there weren't any refreshments, so i'm just gonna leave a couple of snackies. folks, the line's in shambles, let's tuck it in. -sir? -come on, come on. okay. all right. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. okay, we don't need a line monitor. i tried everything to remove fabric odors, but my clothes still smelled. until i finally found new downy rinse and refresh! it doesn't just cover odors, it helps remove them up to 3 times better than detergent alone! find new downy rinse & refresh in the fabric softener aisle.

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the dark, the tiny green dot probe the interior of rory mcguire's immobilize chrysler. the laser site in the back. it's green dot or rolling bull's-eye. lewis --, crouched in the mobile in the backseat watched the green dot move across his body. waited for the gunman to finish him off. >> he

kind of starts a circle around the car, the whole while he's pointing the gun at us. looking like a swat team, or something like that coming. when he comes up, he says, you want to shoot in my house, i've got kids, or something like that. >> we said we wouldn't shoot your, house we wouldn't do that. >> so the gunman points the gun right at me and says, look, we didn't shoot your house, please just call an ambulance. and he took off. >> suddenly, relief. some of the friends had run for cover during the shooting. now they return to the car, but to what, they were alone in the dark. and their friend, the driver, rory, was clearly in bad shape. >> my friend has just been shot, and said i'm shot. we just assumed, we're gonna get back in the car, we're gonna get out of, here and we're gonna get help. >> somehow they managed to move rory to the back seat of the car. but when one of them turned the key >> the car wouldn't start. it just kept getting worse and worse. >> no car, no cell service, no idea exactly where they were, no idea where help might be, no idea if the wood survived the night. or if the gunman was

going to come back. two of them volunteered to run out into the blackness for help. see if they can find a cabin or a ranch house where they might find a working landline. question was, with their friends still be alive when and if they got back. >> so i decide it's time, should i call my -- >> when i pulled my pencilled it sounded like someone poured a ton of water on the ground, just flat. half was basically exploded, like numerous pieces. >> stuck in place, easy targets. if the government in return. going to come back and finish the job.

>> some of the young men decided the car was more of a target than refuge. and hit in the tall glass in the middle. >> and we felt uncomfortable staying in the car, and i don't blame. them >> and now the two best friends, lewis, and rory were trapped in the dark. lewis laid down on the ground. prompt his wounded lake against the car. tried to keep talking to rory. who was lying in the backseat. >> rory was shot in his head. he could barely talk but when he did it was jumbled, it was horrible. he would call out my name a lot. i told him, i guess just naively that could feel his pain. he was able to reply something, like you have no idea. my whole league had become numb, from my knee down. and then shortly after that, my left leg started going out. and then the rest of my extremities. until eventually it reached my lips. and then it got to a point where it was like, well maybe all die. >> just about then, lewis saw headlights appear in the distance. >> and eventually somebody makes their way towards the car, and says. >> i want to see your hands. >> it was the sheriff deputy. and you could see him been stating

documenting the scene. that is when lewis weekly stuck his left hand up out of the meadow grass. >> i laid there on the ground for a while. somebody was holding on to my lead trying to stop the bleeding, and so they were sticking their hand in my. and i was surprised that i could still feel pain because my law numb all i could remain was the. pain >> i can't feel my like it. all >> except for the. putting >> all i remember is that i got loaded into a paramedic. and at this point it was major relief. >> rory was air lifted out to a hospital in reno, he was barely alive. no longer conscience. telling the story was not easy for lewis. >> sorry. >> it's okay. >> his anxiety was not hard to understand. but it didn't make sense was, how was account was different on some very key points from chad reed,

the man who confronted him. for example, chad accused the young men of firing first. during the car chase. >> the next thing you know i was looking out, i can see these three flashes, and then i hear crack crack crack. >> but according to luis, that never happened. what's more he said, chad didn't seem worried they had a gun, when he approached their car. >> did he at any point say, are you armed? did you have a gun? or throw your weapon away? anything like? that >> nothing like. that >> which is kind of confusing, seeing as he accused us of shooting, at his house. but he was pointing a gun at us like we were armed. >> so he came up to the car and said, were you the one shooting at my house? >> yes. >> he didn't say shoot at me at the car? >> no. >> odd. remember, chad told the police that the young man shot at him during the chase. >> did you, ever that night say why are you shooting at me in the car? or you shot at me in the car? anything like that? >> no nothing. nothing like. that >>

did you have a gun? >> no. >> did anybody in the car have a gun? >>. no >> did you own a gun? >> no. >> the authorities were looking for a gun, they couldn't take his word for. it but neither could they. nor could we ignore one more big discrepancy between lewis's story, and chad's. remember, in his interview chat said he told lewis and his friends when he left the meadow that he was going to get help. i said that i was going to go call the sheriff. >> but that is not what lewis heard -- know he said he remembered quite clearly what's their assailant said. just before he got into his truck. >> he said, if i ever see any one of you, i'm going to kill you guys. >> coming up. >> police trying to figure out who was telling the truth about the confrontation. >> i took off after. them i was a leap. ranger >> and assume that. >> i think it finally

sucking that he was going to get caught in the. story >> when dateline continues.

there is safe to say, no one on this earth, that a mother could be adequately prepared for the news carroll was about to receive. it was sunday, morning july 3rd. she just got a message call back now. >> i knew something was wrong. i knew something was very wrong, and i called back immediately, and i just couldn't believe it. >> come quickly they said. to the hospital., all we knew was he was in critical condition, and we needed to get there soon as possible. and that's all they would tell us. >> so carroll, raced along the highway to reno, and her son rory. that same sunday morning, their children woke up to the sound of strangers, rummaging through the cabin. >> they searched through our staff. they took all the guns. and i

was crying, when i woke up. because i don't know who they were. >> it must of been terrifying. >> yes. >> and then the strangers told them their parents were explaining things to the police. and, >> i knew my dad had it under control. he was very smart and thoughtful. >> in fact all night, chad had been in deep conversation with detectives, from the sheriff's office. >> i explained them when it happened >> going over again and, again what happened at the cabin, on the road, in the metro. to hear chad explain what was in his mind, when those men seem to be terrorizing his family. how he decided he had to do something to protect his kids. >> i was gonna get their license plate or something. and i took off after them. that's with the military trainee to do, you

know, react. >> they train you to do that. react on foot. react on cars. those kids didn't stand a chance. i was arranger. >> he told detectives steve --, said how the kids in the card fired at him. and how it was self-defense. how he fired back. >> he talked about that was his training he received from the military, to continue to follow the, threat to neutralize the threat. he got into his own. and he needed to neutralize the threat he felt. >> got into his zone. >> a zone. like >> a military term. >> yes. >> i served five years in the military. i killed people in the other side of this world. and i don't need to kill kids in my state. >> then the detective decided to take chat of a tour, to recreate the almost eight mile chase, and the shooting. on location. and on videotape. >> we drove, from

his cabin, in my vehicle. and videotaping. and he took us right back here, to the meadow here. >> about here, in that stretch, is when i saw him shooting at me. >> right back in here >> and we cut back in here, and it's when i fired. when he was cutting back this? weigh >> in this corner? we hear >> yes. >> chad made it quite clear used a small pistol, three 80 caliber, to return fire during the chase. >> he told us he knew exactly where he shot from. so i'd get out and i'm mark that area so we could go back and search that area for casings. >> then the cops took chant down that dirt, road which led into the meadow. and there they can plainly see, the other officers had already marked several showcasing's in the meadow. and abruptly, chad story changed. >> i had spent many hours with him that night,

questioning him, asking him if any other firearms and had been used. he continually said no. then at the very end of the interview, and the, drive that he finally did tell us that there is another gun used. >> that's when he saw on the ground as they all, did 2 to 3 caliber casings, the kind they would come from an ar-15 assault rifle. which chad finally admitted that he used, here in the metro. >> and prior to that, had you shot the 223 at them at any other time? >> some, not that i recall. no. >> okay. >> but then, his story changed again, he admitted he fired the ar-15, just before he got to the meadow.. >> how about behind us when you shot at them coming off the dirt road. >> yes they take that. back that's when i shot the air the first-time. >> were you moving when he. did that >> yes. or >> i think it finally

sunk in that it was all gonna come back to him and he was gonna get caught in his story. >> coming up, rory mcguire's friends, face tough questions from police. >> i pushed them. i said listen, if there was a gun, you need to tell us. >> when dateline continues. ice works fast... to freeze your pain and your doubt. ♪ heat makes it last. so you'll never sit this one out. icy hot pro with 2 max-strength pain relievers.

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in the hospital, detective steve had chad mullen read take him on a tour, following the path of the car chase from the cabin. down the road, into the meadow. in the hot pursuit ended. with a video camera rolling. chad recounted every detail. >> about here, in that stretch, is when i saw him shooting at me. >> problem was, his story kept shifting, it first the city only used a small pistol during the confrontation. after driving through an area littered with 2:23 caliber shell casings, chad admitted he had also fired his ar-15 assault rifle. >> prior to that, had you shot that at them in any other time?

>> a, no, not that i recall. no. >> why the initial reluctance? well, perhaps because the ar-15, which chad bought legally in nevada, was illegal in california. though, chad said he did not know that. and any rate, now chant detailed how we use the rainfall again, when he saw worries car make a sudden u-turn. >> and i thought that they were going to get out and engage me. >> so perhaps still in self-defense mode, i grabbed the ar, and i swung it out the door and that's when i popped off the rounds of them. >> when they drove past you, going back this way, you are shooting with they are? then >> yes that's right. >> and so there was, chad story, but, as detective listened, something seemed off. >> just some odd the story, as it unfolded each times we talked, it kind of somewhat changed, and that morning detective pay heard from his

colleague, who had spent his night, talking to those young men. >> rory mcguire now in surgery was not able to talk. but the other, five said detective henderson, he talked to them separately. told exactly the same story. how they stole the solar lights, were chased, tried to surrender. and then made a wrong turn. >> rory mcguire did not know this area that will, in the kids realized after they passed it, that they had missed this turn right here that goes down to the lake. >> why antelope lake? because, the men told detective henderson, there were cabins there. people. safety. >> that's what they believe. they believe that they would just be a few minutes from safety. >> but the main thing those young mental detective henderson was, they did not shoot at chad green. in fact, he they assured, him they did not have a gun. >> did you asked? some did you push them on? that >> oh i push them. i

said listen, if there was a gun, you need to tell us. if you had a gun, and were shooting back, you would be in your right, as defending yourself. because you being shot at, and they would always say no, there was no gun, a guarantee that. >> we knew that morning detectives went out to the meadow, in discovered some fascinating evidence. for one thing, shards of broken glass, which clearly marked precisely where the car was, when chad blew out the windows. curious. it was not exactly where chad said it was. and, something else, worries car must have hit a rock during its rush through the meadow. just after it made you turn further out into the meadow. >> and it started joining the oil out of the car. clear as a giant magic marker, a brownish black trail, through the long grass of the meadow. interesting. >> now it was something like 12 hours since

chad ran off to chase them. he was exhausted >> in ben entirely cooperated with the cops? told him everything he knew. he was ready now to go home to his wife, and their three kids, so, what happened next, was something he did not expect. >> he was arrested for attempted murder. and also assault with a deadly weapon. >> as the fourth of july approached, chad was booked in the local jail. would any outcome be worse? well, yes it could. and was about to be. for everyone. coming up, grief and shock, as a mother finally finds out what happened to her son. >> it's horrible. the nurse immediately, her face, she looked at me, and i knew. when dateline continues. dateline continues. dateline continues.

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happening. legendary broadcaster, barbara walters, has died. she became the first woman to anchor the evening news in 1972, and made her landmark making big news making interviews too premature nixon to refill castro. representative for walter says she died peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. walters was 93. new details about the suspect arrested in connection with the murders of four university of idaho students back in november. washington state university confirms brian coburg or was a grad student and its main campus nine miles from where the murders happened in moscow, idaho. he was studying criminology. back to dateline. here's why people move to the highs here, to get away from the city, its constant

pressures, it's a regular explosion, and violent crimes. or at least that's how it was for the district attorney, david hollister. who moved to his new job in the county sea of quincy california. after years of prosecuting the worst that it had to offer. he came for the quiet. the family values. and now, here he was fielding calls from the local sheriffs are fuss about an extremely violent act. which the shooter himself freely admitted to. >> it was small enough where any type of homicide that occurred, i get called right away. >> so how much did you have to do with the decision to charge. one at >> everything. >> and from what the detectives told. him would have been seems pretty clear to be a hollister. >> he chased those boys 7. 6 miles. and he shot to kill. >> and so before sunday july 3rd was half gone, chad wallen reed was booked and stripped shirt, and locked up in the county. joe the charge, attempt of murder. >> what was

that like? when they took him. >> it was very, pretty hard. for them to take my husband away. >> didn't expect it? >> no. i, as far as i've -- never expected us to be a part. in such a man. i never envisioned being -- away from my husband. >> back in the woods, in chats cabin, the detectives who arrested him, proud the property. still decorated in 4th of july lie. looking for evidence. >> there were -- on the gun rock. there was also a closet in the cabin that contained a large amount of ammunition for various guns. shotguns. >> out on the edge of chant property out near the road. the detectives found an unusual no trespassing sign. you are entering the awra sea.

the sign said. which means the republican chad. this is a restricted area, only red blooded patriotic christian americans are authorized for access, the use of deadly force is authorized, for those fun with noncompliance. the young men in the car thought it was some kind of joke. it doesn't seem that we now. at the very same time, still july 3rd, the driver of the shot of car roy maguire, was in the reno hospital, his mother carol, by his bedside in the icu. as he lead with a bullet in his. brain >> it's horrible. i don't know what's critical condition meant. so i really didn't know, what's critical man. probably not gonna make. it and the nurse it immediately, her face, she looked at me -- i knew. >> but it was weird, said carol. when she saw rory lying there, unconscious. >> and he actually looks perfect. i was very

shocked. except for the pleat, that the police over his head where the bullet went in. i just remember him looking like he was asleep. >> that's probably an image you can't get out of your head. >> every day i think of that. i think of that every single day. >> rory's father, carole's ex husband dave maguire, came to trial, not successfully, to hold back his soaring rage, a soldier did this? >> i put myself in that same scenario. and if i needed to, i would defend myself. but, once it's over it's my responsibility to render aid. this is not a battle zone. this is some hicks town in california. >> around the same time at the jail in quincy, an hour and a half away,

chad placed a telephone call to his father. the call, of course, was recorded. >> i just got freaked out about my kids. and people squaring around. and i just got, i just lost, it. just one in, went into a little bit of a zone. >> yeah. >> so a, it got out of control. >> but as the hour stretched into the night into july, for chad begin to see more more clearly, that he was not to blame. those men shot at him. that he never set out to hurt anyone. >> i can honestly sit there and say, i don't get my vehicle, even say that i had the ar-15 say, i'm going to pick this weapon, and i'm gonna go down and kill these guys. heck no. no way. there ain't no way. >> in fact, thought chad, it was really he and his family who were the victims here. >> if they had never shot at me. there'd be no

reason for gun. there would've been no reason for me to fire, to shoot, to use a firearm. you know my and my friends, these people are trying to kill. me >> carrie visited her husband in jail. to tell him that she was in his corner. and would always. be no matter what. >> do you wish that he had just stopped along the way and said, i'm done with this. just let them go, and come. back >> no. >> because he wouldn't have this problem. now >> i guess to a point. as far as the problem being that my husband is not a home. but we would still be in fear, of these people would come back to terrorize us more. he was protecting us. he was making sure that we were safe. >> and then, as the long holiday weekend wound down, he got even worse. for all of them. >> roy maguire, died. >> he had image a couple of hours

after we got there, and that was the end, he was gone, he was brain dead at that point. >> how do it used to feeling like that happening to you? >> i still feel it on piece of the matter. that's the car in the middle, i still feel like i need to go help him. >> the chances for life river? >> forever. we'll never be the. same >> and a few hours later, the loving husband, doting father, army ranger, chad walden read, was now an accused -- >> murderer. they took me back down to the booking area, you're being charged with first degree murder. >> what does that feel? like >> well i can't describe. >> when you look at the word murder, and it describes heinous premeditated, militias, a forethought. that's pretty grotesque. >> bill was

set at 1 million dollars. but chatham his fall family did not have. but out there, out in the wider world, a new issue was emerging, called stand-your-ground. and also a certain attorney discovered, there was some tiny specks of evidence at the crime scene. that just might set chad free. >> coming up. the evidence chad's attorney says pack some. we found three 80 casings, that were not from chats gun. when were not from chats gun. when dateline continues. for most of she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother, alice. and, long lasting gain scent beads. try gain odor defense. be gone, smelly everything!

i screwed up. try gain odor defense. mhm. i got us t-mobile home internet. now cell phone users have priority over us. and your marriage survived that? you can almost feel the drag when people walk by with their phones. oh i can't hear you... you're froze-- ladies, please! you put it on airplane mode when you pass our house. i was trying to work. we're workin' it too.

yeah! work it girl! woo! i want to hear you say it out loud. well, i could switch us to xfinity. those smiles. that's why i do what i do. for most of two years, often that and the paycheck. twice a week, gary will win read drove back and forth through the high sierra to visit her husband in the county

lockdown. not easy, any of. it >> horrible, it's just the worst, being without my husband and the children being without their father. it's just unimaginable. >> and the children? stay home and worry mostly. >> sometimes i've been frightened. and cried for that. and when he sick, i cry hard because i don't know if he might die -- if he's sick -- or if he'll be okay. >> at the very same time roy maguire's mother carol, cried for a son, a future, an expectation gone forever. >> what do you think is the appropriate thing that should happen to this man? >> never step foot out of sight -- out of prison ever again. not

be able to see, not have conjugal visits with his wife, not be able to see as children go through birthdays and marriages. because now i am now cut short from all of that with my son. >> and a little quincy, stuck in a cell, chatted all the time in the world to think about what he did. >> starts this triple effect of if you -- if this had never happen. but something this drabs me inside that says. they were wrong. they scared your family. >> chad found himself fuming about the first degree murder charge against him. felt that his alleged victims were the ones who are. wrong >> did they deserve to be? stop absolutely. they don't deserve the right to do that. people >> fuming is possibly all chad might have done except a prominent defense attorney name, john alston, heard about chants predicament. and right away he believed, to

set him free. >> a sort of stand-your-ground idea? >> yeah. yeah. >> california doesn't have a stand-your-ground laws per se as some states do. but there is a state jury instruction that's as a person under threat, has a right to stand his or her ground and even pursue an assailant. chad walden reid said, two attorney also, the justice is sort of person for whom that defense was attended. >> he's not a gang banger doesn't have a criminal record. he has a good clean military record. >> chad began looking forward to a trial. turned down the deal from the da. there's a story to be told there's things that need to. kamau i think that a trial will be a rather awakening. >> the first, they had to choose a jury. which would be a fight in quincy. a place imposed of gun owning country folk, and liberal big city transplants. >> there were

a lot of letters to the editor of the local paper. and i think that they were pretty evenly divided between people saying that the state ought to reimburse chat the cost of ammunition. and people seeing, i moved up here from the bay area to get away from all of this. and people shouldn't have consolation to shoot guns. >> when the child began, olson seemed satisfied with the jury he got, could go either way. but. >> my desire is to want him out of that court. taken by the elbow, and lead him out of the courtroom. turn him over to his family. >> here is how wilson presented his standard ground defense, in his opening to the jury. >> he shot him because he was -- and he was in fear of. his life >> olson told the jury that he was a protective family man. doing what he felt he had to do as a father. after those menacing visitors to his house. >> after this friday i said they were afraid, and i think that sets

the tone for his state of. mine two sweet little girls. he wanted to show the jury the sweet little girls you wanted to protect. >> fair enough. >> some of the jury wept. as 12 year old dara repeated the story she told, us about the night the man came to their property. >> i remember asking my dad and mom when are you going to do if they come back. and what would happen. if someone got hurt. >> what did they say? >> they said that everything is going to be okay. and that my dad is here to protect us. he can protect us. >> then, carrie, chad's devoted wife took the stand. determined to protect her husband. and she believed he protected her that night. >> what was the effect of this is cnn daniel and your husband? >> it scared us. tremendously. >> and that's the

reason chad chase those men said carry, he was no monster. >> what was his manner of emotional state? >> distraught. >> did you ever see him in that manner before? >> no. >> was he crying? >> he. was >> the whole case of course would boil down to whether chad was fired upon, and chef back in self-defense. also if the evidence backed shut up. >> i think we pretty will prove that there was a gun, in the victims car, and that they fired at chat. the young men in that car, not exactly boy scouts. >> the police asked these people if they had guns. >> and they said no, we wouldn't carry guns. we would never carry guns. in one of them we have a facebook page, displaying both a gun in a knife. >> it must have been a gun that, nice at olson, because on the root of the chase, investigators found three shell casings, casings that did not match any of chad's guns. >> the interesting

thing is that they shot at me three, times and they found the three 80 casings, that we're together and we're not from chad's gun. corresponding with the three shots. >> and there was another truly stunning clue, collected on the night of the shootings. according to his forensic expert, there was gun residue inside the young man's car. and even on some of their hands. >> somebody shot out of that car. >> because of the gunshot residue in the car, the lack of bullet strikes on that side of the car, and the gunshot residue on the hand, of the person who is riding shotgun if you will. >> then why did shed keep shooting at the car? after they made the u-turn? very good reasons it is attorney. >> if they turn around or were coming back out of there, those two cars of be on the same track, with a car coming right at him, and he's been fired on already, coming

back towards, him he thinks they're firing on him again. >> chad declined is take the stand in his own defense. so the jury did not get to hear him say he did the right thing, did what he had to do, when he squeezed the trigger. >> is it possible you are? wrong >> now. >> so, the case for self-defense in a jury would have to take seriously, and thus, prosecutor david hollister's big challenge, time to bring out a little ammunition. literal, trail of evidence to the grass. >> a sticky brownish black mass, that told a fascinating story. >> coming up, worries best friend, comes face to face with the man who shot him. >> when i looked at in my heart kind of jumped. >> when dateline jumped ♪ (cheery music) continue- they get it.

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it's lovely in the autumn summer, has a rate of place here on main street in quincy california. inside, up on the top floor isn't overworked easy office, all too accustomed to the limited funding abilities

of a small county. affective life david hollister had to consider very carefully, as he prepared to prosecute chad wallen read, for first degree murder. >> we better do this case, right we better do it once. because that's about our only shot at it. we have pretty much burned our budget, for trials for the year. the trouble was, >> this was a difficult case from the start. >> the defendant was not just a family, man the father of these adorable children, he was as he told detectives, ex military, once an army ranger. you don't get to be one of those, without good judgment. and real character. and on top of, that there is that wild card jury, people who need to be persuaded that chad showed bad judgment, and very poor character. >> ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the evidence will show the defendant was not an intimate danger when he fired those shots, he was mad that they were trying to get away.

>> he was at the scene so to, speed prosecutor alistair showed the jury showed the video shot by the reality show cameramen, now part of public record. >> this was graphic stuff, right there in living color, the bloodied bodies of injured and apparently terrified young men, the officers trying to attend to their medical needs. >> how important was that video? >> it gave the cherry, a true understanding. of the horror that happened that night. we've got one man's with his leg propped up, in the tourniquet, there we have were maguire in the back seat with a horrible head injury, that is something i cannot capture inwards. >> lewis, the man you met earlier, was a key witness for the, state remember that bullet from chance ar-15, shredded his like. he was luckily to keep the leg, and survived the night. >> did you see the

defendant sitting over there in the courtroom? >> i only looked at him once or twice, my heart kind of jumped, and i knew it was him. >> lewis's been a nervous wreck since all of this happened. in court he was no less nervous as he told the jury about seeing a green laser gun sights, about the flurries of shots fired by the defendant, about the young men's efforts to end the car chase. >> first of all they fled, they fled as fast as they, could they throughout the solar lights, they threw a white t-shirt out the window. if you want to look at a definition for doing everything you can to say no more were done, they did it. >> and yet said the prosecutor, chad kept radon shooting. >> he told the detectives, i think that might of been a white flag. i don't think there's any question those kids did everything they could to give up. >> but here's the thing, if the young men fired at first, as the defense went to a lot of trouble to prove, then maybe chad's reaction was reasonable.

>> but did they fire gun? did they even have one? >> remember those three non chad shell casings found on the, road the defense made such a big fuss about. it could've been from the young men said the prosecutor, and hannity no? simple love speed versus gravity. >> you're telling me, these kids are fleeing a 50 miles per hour, you're telling me that they fired three shots, the casings are a foot and a half apart. at 50 miles per hour. that's outrageous, that's crazy. >> remember the forensic expert was clear there was gunshot residue, in the young man's car. and on some of their hands. proving the must've fired the gun. must. f to which they were to reply, nonsense. that defense expert, must not have been pretty to all of the. evidence >> the gunshot residue was really not gunshot residue. it was elements that could make up gunshot residue. anytime a car is hit with that many high

velocity rounds, from an ar-15. you're going to expect to see. lead >> expert versus expert, matter of opinion, how would a jury? know what's the state needed was something that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that chat was lying about would have been out there in the night. and, seem like maybe they had just exactly that. remember chats insistent that the car came straight out in through the middle, as it for a final showdown. >> and it looked like they were coming straight out? you >> yes. >> looking like an assault? >>. right >>? looking like they were attacking >>. right >> it was just my frame of mind, was that these people were coming back to shoot at me. that's where my vehicle was out of the way, of their vehicle. and they were coming straight back at me, nose to nose. >> but, as the prosecutor told the jury, evidence found in the meadow that a very different story. the detectives took us there to show. us remember how the young

man cracked open the oil then left a distinctive true. we can see the oil, that had to lay down by the car. using that trail of oil, the prosecutor had an animation created. which showed the car was not headed towards chats truck, but instead was headed around it, away from shed. and where detective henderson is standing, was about where they traveled pass. and then he started shooting at their car. >> how did they know where the car was when it was hit? by the shattered glass of its windows some of it still here, marking the spot. and the glass told the story to, they said about the true intentions of chad. >> the shot placement was very well pleased. it was head height, shooting at the windows of the vehicle. one went low into the rear passenger door. and -- but most of the shot

placement was also high, mid high. >> in other words, chad was in shooting to disable the car, said the prosecutor. the evidence suggested he was shooting to kill the occupants. even as they were trying to get away. >> was the defendant an imminent fear of death or broadly injury so that immediately had to use deadly force? on quickly, dnc areas. no >> so wet attitude, in your mind, did he have when he took off after those? kids >> the last words he said before he got in the truck, was i'm going to get those center mitch is. and i think he meant it, the prosecutor felt confident. but in a town divided where there were guns and self protection. who could be sure what the jury could decide. this is exactly the kind of case that needs to hunter. >> absolutely. >> and

that's a. fear >> in that case chad could walk. since it'll quincy couldn't force to try and again. and then just as the trial came to its end. a long sought bit of information finally lead in a dire all histories mailbox. oh my. >> i was shocked. i don't think there was any other way to put. it >> coming up. it was something that we simply felt like we had to follow through. on >> the twist we know is all. coming >> it was very clear the defendant had something that we just alive. >> when dateline continues.

it's not often that a gift drops in a person's left. and from heaven, exactly when it's most needed. which in this case just as the trial was wrapping up, was a carefully sealed

official looking package. addressed to the coolest county da. candidly i give credit to the detectives. >> he asked them to track down chad wallen reads military records. just to confirm his background. >> it was something that we simply felt like we had to follow through on. >> remember, throughout chats interview with police, he talked again and again about his army career. >> that's what the military training to do. you know. react. >> implied that what he did in that middle, he had first done under enemy fire, overseas. >> and i served five years in the flipping military. i kill people on the other side of this, world i don't need to kill kids. >> maybe even that he had been having some sort of flashback. >> i know i had been out for ten years. but you know, i was a, arranger. >> it took nine months, many of them have snarled in military red tape, but now here where the records.

and what they revealed was nothing short of shocking. in here was confirmation that chad was in the army all right, but that's about all what was true. >> he was not arranger. he had not fulfilled his commitment. he had not served overseas. he had not been in contact overseas. he had not killed people on the other side of the world. he had not done any of those things. >> in fact, the army asked chat to lead. discharged him for forging sick leaf peepers, and bringing a personal firearm into the barracks. and this was perhaps the worse, wearing a compact infant badge in a ranger task, and others such badges. when all of those things, which the jury had been made to believe about chad's military service mixed on his own -- for all lives, it was very clear that the defendant had. lied about something you just a. libra >> sure. and you just don't lie about that. >> absolutely. his

talk about how i only fired three shots, i use the pistol. all these other lies added. up >> the liars at hollister who shot those young men out of anger. pure and simple. >> you don't get to chase the person down and kill him. that is not self-defense. >> but defense attorneys stuck to the heart of their case. it was said john olson's partner and his closing argument, a clear case of self-defense. >> in his place again, a reasonable fear of intimate danger, or threat by the actions of the occupant, in the other vehicle. on the road when they were shooting at him. and then when they turned, in the meadow, and came back at him. >> self-defense? or murder? >> to wait for jury's decision is in kind of agony, for both sides. roy maguire's that still struggling with an inexplicable anger. the justice system can't

give him what i feel he has coming. no amount of jail time, will fix it. those sweet said innocent little kids. >> -- like that he was funny -- and he's always loving, he protects us a lot, and -- >> okay. >> and the mission? >> yeah. >> that part is pretty obvious. >> yes. >> before the jury even got the case. chats wife keri told us she already knew what the outcome would be. you mean in your heart of hearts, do you think the jury would say not guilty? >> i know the lord has told me that chad will be home. >> but than any other thought? >> could i imagine him being away from us, no. no. it hurts. that, that thought hurt -- those words are my. heart >> surprising them when word chad

told us what he said before the trial. >> are you going to be acquitted? >> no. we >> know? >> all ended up spending the rest of my life in prison. >> you believe that? >> absolutely. >> why? >> i think that, i don't -- my faith in the legal system has seriously been shaken. i think the majority of people have a negative opinion about me. >> of course no one could know the way the jury would go, especially in a town divided by quincy. >> you're holding your breath the whole time. weather is your first trial, or 50. it they didn't have to hold their breath very long. less than a day >> we the jury, find the defendant gregory chad, walter reed, guilty, of a penalty of

mid murder of first degree -- >> guilty of first degree murder. now the cameras reach in the gallery, roy's mom began sobbing. two years of pent-up heartbreak. >> i know we could not had fix wouldn't have been. but maybe we could give her a sense of justice. >> i'll never have a friend like that again, or somebody i consider brother. >> that's a sweet picture. >> lewis told us it's our duty to keep rory's memory alive. for himself, and for carroll. who is in his herd live now from. good >> i love curl, and she loves me. back there's always a place for me in her home. we can't stop talking about him. she is happy that i was a front row seat to rory's life, and i'm able to tell her about. it >> at a sentencing hearing, chad addressed rory's family. >> i know that there are more rules, and nothing that can give you relief from the pain

that you experience every moment of every day. >> we had already asked carrie which she would do without chat if she had to. and now his sentence, 84 years to life. >> you know, -- there are -- god knows there are countless of families who are in prison who wait and wait and say i can't wait anymore, and they have to go on with their lives and they kind of making you plan. do you ever think about? that >> no. >> not a chance? >> no. >> why is it so important to? you >> he is my husband. he's muscling. the love of my life. >> very little cabin, that piece of paradise was sold, to pay legal bills. >> we have fond memories. we do. and now there is no good memories to be had, but we can hold on to the ones that we

have. and 7. 6 miles away, out there in the mountains, snow blanket in the meadow, hiding the only remnants of what had happened, a few shards of glass, and a little rock that marked the spot where young man was so much potential was wasted. >> part of me feels that rory is fine. >> why do you see rose? fine >> he's not in the meadow. and he's not in the hospital bed. and he's not on that road trying to get away from the shooter. he's not afraid anymore. so he's fine. >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline. " >> i called my mom immediately. i just cried. i cried. i