Flashback Rangers 1

NOPD 1995

Author: John Scott

This inagural Flashback comic featuring the Amarillo Rangers takes us back in time to a time before they had powers. The issue feature Darstan Chang, who would in the future be Bulwark of Liberty. We learn that Darstan entered the NOPD Police Academy on Feb 7th, 1995 and graduated Feb 28th, 1995.

On March 4th, 1995 he got the call that freezes most rookies. He was called to the Kim Ahn restaurant where there was reports of an officer down and two shooters on the loose. Darstan turned on the lights and headed straight for the restaurant he was the closest unit.

Upon arriving he meets Chau Vu who is a young vietnamese woman with a cell phone who is crying and races out of the restaurant to meet him near his car. He quickly learns that Officer Williams has been shot inside by another Officer, Officer Frank and her accomplice a man named Lacaze.

Officer Frank initially tries to deceive the rookie cop but eventually does surrender as reinforcements arrive and finding that Chang had secured Vu in his patrol car blocking line of shot to her. Inside Chang discovers two more bodies, also from the Vu family, a young man and young woman, both shot execution style. Officer Williams was shot in the back and in the head as well.

He finds Chau's remaining living brother who had injured his ankle while working that day and could not assist in getting help along with an employee in the freezer. The brother also confirms that Officer Frank and Lacaze were the perpetrators. Chang puts Frank in his car and drives her to the station. Being that he has few ties with her he is allowed to conduct an initial questioning learning more about her moties, money and drugs. Also learning of an implied relationship with Lacaze. Searching her effects he finds an apartment key that leads him and Officer Parker to arrive in time to nab Lacaze who tries to bribe them with a duffle bag of coke but they arrest him as well.

Officer Chang also questions him for a bit then turns the matter over to more experienced detectives. A few days later he attends the funeral of the Vu children to help assure the family, during this time there is an attempt on Chau Vu's life by at present an unknown assailant using a sniper rifle (probably an M24) with a laser sight. Officer Chang was able to put himself into the line of fire and save Chau Vu from death. The gunman appears to have fled at this part of the story.