You're telling me they shot you with a revolver in your eye? Yes. Is it a BB gun? No, it was a real gun, man. It was just a revolver. They shot you in the eye, you wouldn't be talking to me right now. Most likely you'd be dead. But little did police officers know, he was actually telling the truth. As well, 18-year-old Ryan was being mocked by detectives, he was suffering from a gunshot to the head and experiencing a brain bleed that could end his life at any moment. I'm going to go back to sleep and try to go back to sleep. You're not going back to bed. On the 23rd of December 2006, two men broke into Ryan Waller's house looking for revenge for a past argument. Ryan heard the noise at the door, but when he went to investigate, a hand reached inside and shot him twice in the eye. The two men, Richie and Larry Carver, then entered his house and shot Ryan's girlfriend, Heather, killing her instantly. By some miracle, 18-year-old Ryan survived and was able to talk to police when they arrived hours later. Given he'd just been shot in the head, he told them he had no idea what happened, but instead of being taken straight to the hospital, he was taken to the police station and interrogated for the longest hour of his life. Before the interview started, Ryan was left in the room alone. He squirmed in pain for 20 minutes straight and worse yet, he was handcuffed to the desk and unable to scream for help. Man. Ryan is obviously not okay, but the detectives begin the interrogation anyway. You would know why you're down here, right? You have no idea why you're down here. Mhm. Okay. I don't know what happened. Okay. So, I'm going to read you something to make sure that understand your rights, okay? You ever seen that TV show Cops or CSI or anything like that? Okay. You ever seen that? No. You've never seen any kind of cop show, lawyer show, any kind of show? Yeah. Okay. I want you to listen up real closely. Okay, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. What's the highest grade you went through school? I don't know. I don't know. You don't know what the highest grade you went through? Eighth. Eighth grade? Did you graduate? Yeah. Did you Do you have a GED? I don't know. You don't know what? I don't know. I don't know. I just want to go home. All right, you're You're not going to go home right now. What's the highest grade that you completed? B. No. Not Not grade as in letter grade. I'm asking did you graduate high school? No. And the highest you went was eighth grade? Mhm. Yep. Do you know how to read and write, Brian? Yeah. The way the detective is talking to Ryan implies that he knows something is wrong. He's raising his voice slightly, slowing down, and talking in very simplified language just as you would a child. Yet, even with the massive red mark around Ryan's face and the dazed responses he's giving, the detective still decides that nothing is wrong and continues questioning him. Do you have a girlfriend? Mhm. Mhm. No? Do you know Do you know a girl named Heather? Mhm. What is Heather's last name? Mhm. The one that lives there right now? I guess, I don't know. Her name is Heather. What's her last name? I don't know what her name she's trying to use as her last one. She's trying to have a real last as a nickname. I don't know. What nickname does she go by? She probably wants the last name, Kaiman. Kaiman? How old is Heather? 16 or 17. She's a white girl? Yeah. How did you meet Heather? From the owner. She's in school. I don't know. She used to be a stoner from school? She used to be a business name. She used to be in a class? Your business class? Mhm. All right. What happened to your face? I don't know. You told the officer just a few minutes ago that someone hit you. Do you remember who hit you? I think it was Heather. Why would Heather hit you? It was an accident. I forgot why. What was an accident? Heather's last name? No. What was an accident? Heather hitting me. What did she hit you with? Her hand in the eye. Did you guys have an argument? Not really, no. Not really? Uh-uh. What happened for her to hit you in the eye like that? She just hit me in an accident. She was giving Christina a head. She was what? She was helping Christina with her hair or something. I don't know. Who's Christina? She's on the couch. Christina is on the couch? Ryan and Heather lived with another person whose name isn't public. There's a possibility that it's the Christina he's referring to here, but either way, nobody else was home at any point of the night of the attack. Ryan is clearly suffering traumatic brain injury, and it's astonishing that the detective isn't connecting the dots. Even if it was just blunt force like Ryan is telling him, he still should be checked out by a doctor given how he's acting. But, of course, that's not how it happens. Instead, it somehow gets even more messed up. What happened last night? I don't know. You don't know? I really don't. I just want to go to sleep and go to sleep. Well, you remember Heather hitting you in the eye, right? I don't know what anybody was doing. I really don't. Who was in the house when you went to sleep? Christina and Heather. Christina and Heather? Mhm. And Christina was on the couch? Heather was. Heather was on the couch? You told me Christina was on the couch just a minute ago. I don't know, man. I really don't. I really don't. You just don't know? I really don't, man. I just want to go home and go to sleep, man. Well, Ryan, you're not going to go anywhere. Do you know what happened in your house last night? Mhm. Is that house yours? Mhm. Yours or your parents'? Mine. Mine. What happened? I don't know what happened. You're all beat up. So, tell me what happened. I don't know. I just want to go to sleep, man. That's it. There's a dead girl in your living room. She's dead? Yes. Heather? I don't know. I want to know what happened in your house last night. The girl on the couch is dead? I don't know. If she's on the couch, she's dead. All these people came over, Richie and his dad. With shooting arrows, bow and darts. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. They hit me and her with those. That's it. And Heather wasn't there. And Eric wasn't there. It was just me and Heather. Who was there? You and Heather were there. And then what happened? And that's it. Richie and dad tried to break in through the back. Richie and dad, his dad? Mhm. Who's Richie? I don't know. Well, you obviously know him. You know his name by your own to live there. Was he a roommate of yours? He used to be. They hit you? Yeah. Now, was Richie that hit you, not Heather? No, Richie and his dad. Richie and his dad. They hit you? Yes. Why? Cuz they were trying to get their stuff. I don't know why. And they had some kind of bow and arrows? Mhm. They each had two revolvers and they didn't leave any shells. Okay, you just said they had bow and arrows. Now they have revolvers? That's what I meant. They have revolvers. They have revolvers. Yes. And then what happened? And then they shot us with those. They shot both of you? Yeah. Where'd they shoot you at? I shot in the eye. You got any shot in the eye? I think so. With a revolver? I think. I don't know, man. I don't know. [ __ ] Then what happened? I don't know. You don't know a lot. All right, I don't. I don't, man. I really don't. I'd like to see this detective try and articulate himself anywhere near as Ryan is in this situation. He's managed to recount the exact sequence of events as well as the perpetrator's names with the revolver bullet still in his brain. It does sound like an unbelievable story and that's probably why the cop is essentially laughing at him by now. But that still doesn't excuse any part of what's going on. He's obviously distressed, in pain, and needs to go to the hospital. But he's still more than a half an hour away from any form of salvation. Ryan, why don't you tell me what really happened there? Cuz I don't believe I really don't know, man. I really don't. I don't know. I didn't tell you anything, I swear. Well, I want you to tell me the truth. That's all I want. Richie and his dad came there, and I don't know why. I don't know why. I don't know why, but they put me in sleeping hold, and like you put me in sleeping hold, put the arrows and [ __ ] Like I lived through the through that crap. Okay, they they put you in a sleeping hold? Yeah. What is that? I don't know. I don't know. I really don't. I don't know, man. You're telling me they put you in a sleeping hold. What is a sleeping hold? I don't know. Well, explain it. Tell me out of your mouth. Explain that to me. What's a sleeping hold? I really don't know, man. Okay. You're telling me you're you're all over the board here, number one. You're saying bows and arrows, you're saying revolvers, and you're saying some other thing, and they You're saying they shot you in the eye, okay? They shot you with a revolver in your eye. Yes. And that's Is it a BB gun? No, it was a real gun, man. It was just a revolver. you in the eye with a revolver. You wouldn't be talking to me right now. It's most likely you'd be dead. That's what I thought, too, man. I really don't know. I really don't know, and I just want to go back to sleep and try to go back to bed. You're not going back to bed. Okay? That's not going to happen. What happened to Heather? Heather got shot. Where did she get shot? Inside the face once. She got shot inside of the face? Mhm. How close were you to her when she got shot in the face? It was after I got shot, so I didn't even hear anything. So, you got shot first? Mhm. And what happened? Did you fall to the ground? Yeah, I was trying to get up and [ __ ] and I couldn't. And then she got shot? Mhm. And what Why did What What did you do? Did you call 911? Mhm. Did you see if she was alive? She was sleeping still, and that's it. I just let her sleep. She got shot in the side of the face, and you let her sleep? Yes. This does not make sense, Ryan. I know, I didn't mean to, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know if she was passing out. That's because I got shot wrong once, too, and I was going to pass out. Okay, this is now, not before. You're saying right now you've been shot. Yes. In the eye. Yes. With a revolver. Yes. All right. Ryan, you need to start telling me the truth, cuz your story doesn't make sense. I'm trying, man. I don't know. Just ask me anything. I'll tell you the truth. Just ask me. I'm trying to, and you're not even coming close to the truth. Go ahead and ask me. What happened with you and Heather last night? Her dad came and shot the house. And shot her. Mhm. Her dad shot her. Mhm. All right. And then leaves. Mhm. And what did you do? I tried to go back to sleep. After you've been shot? Mhm. In the eye. Mhm. You didn't know enough to call 911. Mhm. Why didn't you call 911? Cuz I was just trying to go to sleep. That's it. You just saw Richie and his dad shoot your girlfriend, and you just felt like you needed to go to sleep? Ryan, look at me. Ryan. Yes. I don't know, man. I really don't know. Why did you shoot Heather, Ryan? I didn't shoot Heather. She was already shot once by her brother, I swear. Richie. Yes. Richie shot his own sister? Yes, I swear. That's it. So don't hurt me. And you've been shot in the eye. Yes. Put your feet up on the table, please. My feet hurt, man. I don't know why. Get them off my table. Let me see the nose. Put your Put your legs Put your legs down. Put your legs down. And bring your face closer. Oh, my head hurts. Okay. Yeah, be be right back. Finally, the detective at least considers the fact that Ryan might be in some form of physical distress. He leaves the room to ask for an ambulance and returns momentarily to try and get a few more details about the shooting. Ryan clarifies that Heather isn't related to Richie or his dad and that he's got no idea why they attacked him that evening. 10 minutes later, the fire department arrives to take a look at Ryan's injury. He's acting uh like he has a serious head injury, which would make sense. What's your name? Can you confirm? Ryan. Yeah, we'll take him. I don't know why I am. Well, we can tell. Been that all has it been like that before or just happened tonight? I'm guessing it was today or so. When did this all happen, what? The other night? I don't know. You don't know what happened? Were there guns around? This kid, Eric, did it. I don't know how he did it exactly. I might have been shot. I don't know. What are you waiting on? I don't know. All right, it looks like it went right through, huh? Yeah, it might have. I don't know. Ryan gets his blood pressure taken and finally after 56 minutes of unnecessary and ultimately deadly interrogation, he's taken to the hospital. Upon inspection at the hospital, doctors immediately realized his status was critical and that he also had indeed been shot in the eye. They also told his father that he'd contracted an infection that could have been prevented had he received proper care. Ryan stayed at the hospital for 35 days and lost part of his brain and his left eye. Worst of all though, he experienced regular seizures from the day he left the hospital until 2016 when one finally took his life. Richie and Larry were both given life in prison without the possibility of parole.