The attendance record showed that Maya had completed an important part of the required procedure earlier that morning. The record had been updated before Daniel's encounter with Josephine.
However, the information in the dispatch channel had not reflected that completed step.
The difference mattered.
If the original record showed that Maya had already complied with the relevant requirement, the assumption that she was deliberately avoiding the courthouse would need to be examined.
It did not automatically establish why the dispatch information was inconsistent.
There could have been a delay in updating a system, an error in communication, or another administrative explanation.
Rebecca did not draw a conclusion.
Instead, she requested the communication history associated with the update and the identity of the person responsible for transmitting the information to Daniel.
She also asked whether Daniel had received any later correction before entering the hallway.
The department's liaison began reviewing the messages.
Meanwhile, Rebecca arranged another interview with Daniel.
When he entered the interview room, he looked more tired than he had the previous day.
He sat down and waited while the investigator arranged the documents on the table.
REBECCA SHAW:
"We have obtained additional records relating to the assignment you received."
DANIEL REED:
"All right."
REBECCA SHAW:
"The attendance history for Maya Reynolds shows that a required step had been completed before your encounter with Judge Carter. The dispatch information you relied on did not reflect that update."
Daniel stared at the document.
DANIEL REED:
"I wasn't told that."
REBECCA SHAW:
"We are examining whether the information was communicated and when. For now, I need you to explain what you did to verify the assignment before approaching the woman in the hallway."
Daniel rubbed his hands together.
DANIEL REED:
"I reviewed the message I received."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you check the underlying attendance record?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you contact the person responsible for the record to confirm that Maya Reynolds was still being sought?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you obtain any additional identifying information?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
Rebecca allowed a moment of silence before continuing.
REBECCA SHAW:
"Then, based on your current account, you approached Judge Carter without independently verifying that she was the person named in the assignment."
DANIEL REED:
"Yes."
REBECCA SHAW:
"And when she denied being Maya Reynolds, you did not reconsider your identification."
Daniel looked down.
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Why not?"
He took a long breath.
DANIEL REED:
"I thought she was trying to avoid the situation."
REBECCA SHAW:
"What evidence did you have that she was avoiding the situation?"
Daniel had no immediate answer.
The investigator waited.
DANIEL REED:
"She questioned me and told me I had the wrong person."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Those were the actions you interpreted as avoidance?"
DANIEL REED:
"At the time, yes."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you consider that she might genuinely be the wrong person?"
Daniel's shoulders dropped.
DANIEL REED:
"I should have."
REBECCA SHAW:
"That is an important distinction. You had an assumption, and the information available to you did not establish that the assumption was correct."
Daniel remained silent.
Rebecca moved to the next section of the interview.
REBECCA SHAW:
"We also need to discuss the force you used. The recordings show that you struck Judge Carter after she told you to stop touching her. Is there any part of that sequence you dispute?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you have information suggesting that she posed an immediate physical threat to you?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Did you observe a weapon?"
DANIEL REED:
"No."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Then explain why you struck her."
Daniel pressed his lips together.
For several seconds, he appeared to be searching for words that would make the decision sound less deliberate than it had been.
DANIEL REED:
"I lost my temper."
REBECCA SHAW:
"That is an explanation of your emotional state. It is not a justification for the action."
Daniel looked at the investigator.
DANIEL REED:
"I know."
REBECCA SHAW:
"Do you understand that your decision to use force must be evaluated separately from the question of whether the original assignment was accurate?"
DANIEL REED:
"Yes."
REBECCA SHAW:
"An error in the information you received, if one occurred, would not automatically explain or excuse every decision you made afterward."
Daniel nodded slowly.
He could no longer rely on the possibility that the original assignment would explain everything.
Even if the dispatch message had been incorrect, he had still failed to verify Josephine's identity.
Even if he had genuinely believed she was Maya, he had still struck a woman who had not attacked him.
And even after the first strike, he had continued confronting her rather than stepping back and reassessing the situation.