 Not all reviews were so positive . The Dallas Morning News writer Ed Bark called Williams ' a " sometimes overly transparent effort to underscore the grief of the victims ' survivors " , and said the episode " works overtime " to make the world seem like a " bleak and scary place " . Bark also said the show made itself a " target for charges of racism " by making the three murderers black , but also credited the script with making one of the perpetrators so sympathetic . Tom Shales of The Washington Post said the writers " try a little too hard " to create sympathy for the three murder suspects , and the episode suffers due to the absence of actor Andre Braugher , who plays Detective Frank Pembleton . But Shales also praised Williams ' performance and said the episode was particularly powerful because the actual violence is off @-@ screen . Buzz McCain , columnist with The Washington Times , called the episode " irritating " and " as pointless as the killing " . He particularly criticized the script , which he said was clichéd and overly " misty @-@ eyed " , particularly the extended moments of Williams talking about the shooting . In a later article , McCain said , " Nothing I 've written in this column generated as much visceral response as my nine paragraphs about ( " Bop Gun " ) . " In addition to responses from angry fans , McCain received a call from David Mills , who McCain said " simply wanted some insight as to what specifically I didn 't like about his show and how the writers might improve on the next one . " 
