In New Orleans, when a man is robbed and shot multiple times on his payday, Detective Rob Barrere has a hunch this isn’t just a random robbery gone wrong. In New Orleans, when an eyewitness points out a potential suspect at the crime scene, Detective Nick Williams must determine if they have the right guy. When a man is found shot dead in his car, St. Louis detectives hope a local prostitute can point them in the direction of the shooter. In KCK, a feud between neighbors gets out of control and leaves a father of 5 shot in the head on his doorstep.
In Atlanta, a young man comes home for lunch and winds up murdered when he catches a brazen thief in the act. Then, in Tulsa, an ongoing feud between two gang members leads to a fateful encounter.
The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.