Why didn't Royce just shoot Sheridan?
And then shoot Newman? Would've made more sense on his part.
I'm happiest...in the saddle.
Well, Newman walked in on Royce just about when he was going to execute Sheridan. If he had shot Sheridan, it might've given Newman time to get off a shot on Royce.
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Plus, he'd be screwed if they found out that the same gun shot both people. You have to THINK...
shareExactly: ballistics would have easily ascertained from powder burns that Sheridan wasn't killed in self defence but coldly executed. Newman, who was with Girard's team and under orders to apprehend Sheridan, walked in on Royce, who was under orders to eliminate the threat holding the gun at point-blank range to his head. Sheridan had sensitive info that Royce and SS didn't want him going free with. Newman was unaware of this. So priorities for Royce changed at that moment when Newman then became the threat when he found out the SS's real prerogative with Sheridan.
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"What is now proved was once only imagin'd" - William Blake
And then he wouldn't have DIED!
Honey Bee 14
A better question is, why didn't they question the old dude in the oxygen mask? He saw the whole thing and probably decided if law enforcement guys were running around shooting each other he'd live another 5 minutes but minding his own business, I guess...
sharedeepwithpace: A better question is, why didn't they question the old dude in the oxygen mask? He saw the whole thing and probably decided if law enforcement guys were running around shooting each other he'd live another 5 minutes but minding his own business, I guess...
Yeah ! I always wondered whatever happened to that old guy with the O-mask
EDIT: I just re-watched that scene again and the old dude probably couldn't tell the authorities much. The fight between Sheridan and Royce took place behind a wall which acted as a screen. So the action was concealed.
In short, the old man didn't know anything. Just that Newman got shot but he couldn't see by whom. share
I just rewatched it last night to see if there were any early signs of Royce's tue colors pre-Newman shooting.
shareThere's a shot of him giving a look to another agent earlier in the movie which is a dead giveaway.
I'm happiest...in the saddle.
Not to mention that, by his own admission, Royce volunteered to be on Gerard's team. When he is first introduced to the gang he claims that the two dead DSS agents were his friends, but once you realise that he set the whole thing up and needed everyone dead you can see how he was scheming to gain Gerard's trust from the very beginning.
shareAlso, he took back his own gun in the swamp...the one Gerard originally told him to get rid of and replace with a Glock...from Sheridan after Sheridan had shot Gerard in the vest. He used that same gun to kill Newman and then claimed Sheridan had the gun the whole time. But Gerard remembered the ID number being filed off when he first looked at Royce's gun and figured out Royce kept the gun.
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"Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!"---Han Solo, Star Wars