In the criminal justice system, some characters become especially beloved.

But that doesn’t mean they’ll always be safe. And in the second episode of Law & Order season 26, which aired on Oct. 15, it was the end of the road for Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott).

This is his story.

Riley—who joined the series in season 23—was in pursuit of a suspect while off-duty, meaning he didn’t have his bulletproof vest on. But while he’d tried to contact his partner Walker (David Ajala) for backup, support didn’t get there in time; the suspect shot Riley twice in the chest, and Walker found the detective bleeding onto the street when he arrived.

Though Riley is transported to the hospital, doctors regrettable inform Walker they did everything they could, but that the detective has died.

The rest of the episode is dedicated to getting justice for the late squad member, which means finding the man who killed him and putting him behind bars.