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“Subway Vigilante” or “Bigot?” Revisiting the 1984 Bernhard Goetz Shooting

Season 2026 Episode 8090 | 17m 49s

In 1984, in a New York subway car, Bernie Goetz opened fire on four black teenagers who he claimed were trying to rob him. At a time when fears of rising crime were rife, some saw Goetz as a hometown hero while others condemned him for what they saw as an act of racial violence. Former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams re-examines this case in his new book "Five Bullets."

Extras
Preview: 250 Years of Americana
Follow the Artemis mission to bring humanity back to the Moon for the first time since Apollo.
Appraisal: Hair Pictorial Memorial, ca. 1895
Appraisal: Three Stooges-signed Photo, ca. 1950
Appraisal: Edwardian Sapphire & Diamond Ring, ca. 1905
Appraisal: Joan Miró Pencil on Paper, ca. 1965
Appraisal: Andrew Clemens Sand Art Bottle, ca. 1885
Appraisal: WWII OSS Stiletto with "Pancake Flipper" Sheath
Appraisal: 1904 Painted Mnemonic Banner for Schnitzelbank Song
Appraisal: 1915 Union Printers National Baseball League Trophy
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