 Los Angeles police sergeant Roger Murtaugh and his partner, Sergeant Martin Riggs, arrest Billy Phelps for trying to rob an armored truck, this being just 8 days until Murtaugh is scheduled to retire. In the interrogation room, Billy is murdered by Lieutenant Jack Edward Travis, a vicious former cop who now sells guns that are stolen from evidence storage facilities. The investigation of Travis teams Riggs and Murtaugh up with Sergeant Lorna Cole of the Internal Affairs Division. Leo Getz, who is now a legitimate real estate agent, gets involved when he sees Travis s face on a paused videotape then says he recognizes Travis. Riggs finds himself falling in love with Lorna. Later, in a shootout against a street gang, Murtaugh kills a gangster who turns out to be Darrell Smithers, the best friend of Murtaugh s son Nick. A guilt ridden Murtaugh later tries to drink himself to death, but Riggs helps him realize that they must go after Travis, the man that Darrell s gun came from.