Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
The murder of witness William Gant brings McNulty and Bunk back to the Barksdale organisation. McNulty suspects an attempt to frighten future witnesses, while Bunk questions why a gang would kill someone after an acquittal. Judge Phelan renews his pressure on police command. Daniels’s new investigative detail moves into a poorly equipped basement, where Prez accidentally fires his gun indoors. Daniels pushes for a stronger detective to offset the unsuitable officers sent to him. Greggs uses Bubbles to identify dealers: he offers them red hats while the police photograph the people he marks from above.
McNulty and Bunk question D’Angelo about Gant and persuade him to write a condolence letter to the dead man’s family before lawyer Maurice Levy intervenes. Avon later criticises D’Angelo for giving the police anything they could use. That night, Herc, Carver and Prez go to the towers without authorisation to intimidate residents. Prez strikes a teenager with his pistol, and the confrontation draws gunfire from the buildings. Daniels orders Prez to claim he feared for his safety, covering for his officer despite the seriousness of the assault. His wife Marla challenges that decision and urges him to leave the politically dangerous case. A late telephone call brings worse news: the boy has permanently lost sight in one eye.