a fire chief murdered. his wife the only witness. this detective knew them both. >> she started telling me about a young man coming into their home, and shooting keith. >> her job now, solve this crime. clue number one was a doozy. >> she said ■çafter he shot keith, he turned to her and said i'm sorry, ma'am. >> i'm sorry? a killer who apologized? that was just the start. a gun stashed in a dryer. a man's glove, but whose dna? a woman with a whole lot to reveal. >> she tossed her top to me. >> she just ripped it off? >> i was shocked. chief who spent his career helping those in trouble. hello and hello and welcome to dateline. keith bryan was a devoted fire chief who spent his ■çcareer helping those in trouble. then one night a gunshot shattered the life they had built and exposed scandalous secrets at the heart of a complicated crime. here's andrea canning with mystery in mustang. >> reporter: just about 20 miles of southwest downtown oklahoma city sits a town called mustang. once farmers and ranchers dominated the land. it's bigger now, but folks hold tight to their roots. >> pretty quiet community for the most part. >> reporter: faith connects community here and people stay lifelong friends. >> it's a small town feel, neighbors helping neighbors. >> reporter: in a place like mustang, neighbors know almost all there is to know about each other for better or worse. ■ç >> 911, what's your emergency? >> so when the unthinkable happens, it would be all the more startling when the secrets came tumbling out. >> i heard a lot of things that shocked me that i would have never imagined. >> evil invaded mustang? >> it created a lot of fear for a lot of people. >> and that is my first real who had done it? >> keith bryan was oklahoman to the core. proudly raised in the sooner state. he married his wife, becky, at 19, and they settled in mustang. pam woodard, an old friend of keith, rolled out the welcome mat to the bryans ñiwhen they move into town. >> they become a very integral part of our church. very active, very grounded. >> reporter: they had two boys. >> becky was a good mom from what i could tell. >> reporter: keith worked as a fireman, his dream job in the well-to-do city of oklahoma. and jerry hamilton served alongside keith. if the firemen were like brothers, the wives were like sisters says terry's wife, kim. >> we became all families together. >> keith had a good sense of humor. he was outgoing, and he was really driven to succeed. >> which he did, promoted to fire chief. but keith never lost his personal connection with the people he served. >> he waqone of the first responders to the oklahoma city bombing. >> he was. that's when he worked on the lady who was programmed forever. >> oh, i think so. i was pretty proud of him for a friend. >> reporter: as for becky, she was a force in the community too, working in real estate. her business often seemed more about the people. >> becky had a selfless side to her too. there are people that i know of that were upside down. she even at times was known to take her own money to closing and help like that. >> reporter: keith was elected city councilman in mustang. becky's business was thriving. and their marriage, an example to others. >> they ■çdid some pre-marital counseling for several years. >> they were counseling other couples? >> yes, on how to have a good marriage. >> reporter: so it came as a surprise when in 2010, keith and becky hit a rough patch. the becky moved out. david reddick, becky's brother, remained clothe to keith during the separation. >> he wanted to know how to change to show that love to her in a greater way. >> what advice did you give keith? >> i told him to talk to her about it. that she was sensible. >> reporter: keith worked hard to win becky back with dates, >> he was telling people what he had made him that much better as a understand. >> reporter: in the years that fold, keith kept up with the romance. becky was at a real estate conference in tulsa. keith texted her sweet messages throughout the day. becky arrived home around 8:30 p.m. a friend came over to chat. keith, now ever attentive, made iced tea. after the friend left, becky said she and keith settled down in front of the tv. on the bill that night, a classic scary movie, clinic. it was becky. >> a young man. >> and then ■çthe phone cut out dispatchers sent police to the house. becky called back. >> i just called 911 on my cell phone. are you coming to my house? >> reporter: she said an intruder shot keith in the head. >> my husband and bleeding and the intruder. he's in an itty bitty pickup. it's a dark color. >> reporter: the brave fire chief who dedicated his life to saving others was in urgent need of help himself. >> okay, i got to go. >> reporter: ems and police sped to the bryan. who was the shooter? this intruder ■çon the loose an could he be found. fear. coming up after he shot keith, he turned to her and said i'm sorry, man. a gunman? when dateline continues. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. billy: one second, grandma. this guy is going to buy my car. okay? 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[ crying ] [ crying ] rdoh my god. oh my god. okay, no, i'm in mustang, america. who would do that? >> reporter: word went out that a brazen intruder had shot ■çfi chief keith bryan in his own home. within minutes first responders swarmed the house, securing it as a crime scene. as keith was rushed to the hospital, his wife, becky, stayed behind. detectives were on their way as she spoke to her brother, david, on the phone. >> she was crying and frantic. i said settled down. >> reporter: janet hickman rushed over to the bryans. >> i went over and hugged her and said god will get us through this. >> reporter: keith's deputy chief, terry hamilton, reached becky on her phone. >> i told her not to worry that they will do a full investigation. >> reporter: at the house, becky was on ■çthe rear patio. on the phone with friends and family, repeating the story of the armed intruder. >> when we are sitting around an open lot in the patio, i was fearful that they might come back. >> you thought right at that moment this person she described could come back? >> yes, i did. cammy mcneil was dispatched to the bryan's house last night. and mustang being mustang, the victim and his wife were no stranger to the detective. what's your reaction when you hear it's keith? >> it was concerning to me because i knew this family. >> reporter: becky seemed relieved to see a familiar face. >> she called out ■çmy name and asked me to come sit by me. then she started telling me about a young man, possibly 25 years old, coming into their home. and shooting keith in the head. >> what did the young man say according to becky? >> she said after he shot keith, he turned to her and said i'm sorry, man. >> reporter: this apparent apology and explanation. becky also recounted it to 911 dispatchers. >> he said ma'am, i'm so sorry, but your husband should have hired me. >> do you have a gut reaction about that story? >> it was concerning ■çmaybe because we're a small community. my first. how are we going to find him? >> reporter: becky described the shooter as a man in his 20s with a big nose and wearing a hoodie. >> i tried to get as much information out to the other law enforcement agencies and as well as our officers to start looking for him. >> is it possible that keith might have known the man? and at hospital, hopeful news. he was clinging to life. keith made it through surgery, still in terrible shape, but alive in the icu. when becky arrived, the halls of the hospitals were filled ■ç with friends, loved ones. >> how hard was it for you to see keith in that condition? >> it was very, very hard. you know, i would tell myself, you never know. i've heard so many stories of people, you know, haven't had injuries. and i know prayers are so powerful. and i know that he had so many people praying. the first thing that happens when you see becky in the hospital? >> we come up and hug each other and she's crying. i mean she started crying immediately when i grabbed her. >> reporter: by morning it was clear. keith would not pull through. those closest to him sense it was time to say their good- byes. what did you ■çsay to him? >> just -- i said you didn't deserve this, and i love you. good-bye. that was it. >> reporter: at keith's bedside, becky, keith's wife of 33 years, wept. and as keith slipped away along with the sorrow was the lost hope that he could shed any light on who had done this to him. no one believed keith bryan had an enemy in the world. so as the search for the apologetic intruder got underway, one clue was a simple as the victim's name. coming up. >> there was a theory ■çout the that perhaps this intruder was looking for a different fireman. >> when dateline continues. e absording layer. time for a bite! if your mouth could talk it would ask for... poligrip. ♪♪ some people just know that the best rate for you is a rate based on you, with allstate. because there's a right way to. stop! and the speed limit definitely isn't. 700 million mph. so why would you pay a rate based on. a terrible boss with a terrible haircut! save with, ooh. save with drivewise and get a rate based on you. you're in good hands with allstate oooh! i can't wait for this family getaway! shingles doesn't care. shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. ahhh, there's nothing like a day out with friends. that's nice, but shingles doesn't care! 99% of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. a perfect day for a family outing! guess what? 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>> it was very significant. i was nervous. i wanted to, of course, do a good job and make sure the right person went to jail for that crime. >> reporter: to find ■çthat person, detectives needed to comb through every detail of becky's eyewitness account. mcneil and an agent from the oklahoma state bureau of investigation interviewed her again at the hospital the night of the shooting. >> 1:23 in the morning, what's your first name? >> becky talked about how close she and him were. >> and he really came to play. >> reporter: investigators went over step by step how the shooting went down. what are you looking for when you go into that conference room to interview becky? >> how does this person know keith? can she describe him better, things like that. ■ç and the door opened and we were watching a loud movie, "carrie." this young kid about 25 years old walks into the house and comes over to the carpet and my husband department even have time to turn around. i turn -- i looked just in time to see. then he came out from here and he shot him in the head right here. >> point-blank? >> point-blank right here. >> reporter: it was then becky said that the shooter turned and spoke. >> and he said i'm sorry, ma'am, but he should have hired me. >> a polite shooter? >> yes, she did describe him that way, yes. >> ■çreporter: there it was again. that odd, but clearly important detail. along with his polite apology, the shooter seemed to give away a motive. was he someone vying for a job in keith's fire department? keith's deputy, terry hamilton, didn't think so. >> i was never concerned about that. >> reporter: why not? >> for one thing, it would have been four years since we had hired anybody. no one will sit and stew for four years and then go and shoot the guy. >> reporter: there was another possibility. one that neighbors of the bryan's wondered about. keith often did projects on the house. was the killer someone who wanted ■ça construction job and didn't get it? he also remembered seeing a similar truck the night of the shooting. >> are you asking people if they saw anyone suspicious in the neighborhood, if they saw a truck in the neighborhood? >> yes, all of that was going on. >> were they yielding anything? >> very little. very little. >> reporter: and then among the firefighters and their wives, a third entirely different idea was band-aid about. no one said anything about it first, but some were won"ring if keith had not been the intended target as well. >> perhaps this intruder was looking for a different fireman. >> why would anyone think that? not far from the bryan's home in mustang lived the oklahoma city fire chief. his name, keith bryant. bryant with a t at the end. the whole keith bryant theory that maybe they got the wrong fire chief? >> you know, that did not hit me until somebody brought it up. >> reporter: and the buzz reached the back of the fire house. center that story did come out that possibly the person who done this, it could have been anyone's theory as to what happened. >> too farfetched? >> yes. it is real competitive to get hired on as a firefighter. so i just can't see somebody not getting hired and then killing the fire chief. the oklahoma city fire department, i don't think the fire chief really has anything to do with the hiring process. >> so around ■çmustang, the questions were many. the answers few. people were watching. >> i found myself wanting to close blinds early. >> did you have a moment of panic? 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