Antwon Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Antwon Mitchell is a fictional character
from the FX television show The Shield
, portrayed by Anthony Anderson
.
who, having been released from prison after a lengthy sentence, tried to reinvent himself as an upstanding community activist. However, he has secretly secured power as the most powerful drug boss in the district, leading a gang called the One Niners.
father. His mother later shot and killed his father, for which she was sentenced to life in prison. Monica Rawling reveals and uses this information against Mitchell during an interrogation
. While imprisoned, his mother was impregnated by a prison guard and bore Antwon's half-brother, Jason Porter.
. The events of the fourth season unfolded from this confrontation.
Detective Shane Vendrell
, attempting to emulate his former mentor Vic Mackey
, actively pursues a possible partnership with Mitchell. With Vendrell on Mitchell's payroll, he and his partner, Armando "Army" Renta help Mitchell eliminate his rivals and ultimately become head of the One Niners. Not satisfied with simply paying cops to do his dirty work, Mitchell seeks to dominate Shane and his partner. After being provoked several times by Vendrell, Mitchell's thugs attack him and Renta in a warehouse. With his foot on Vendrell's neck and using his police issue pistol, Mitchell murders the 11-year-old girl who had informed on his drug ring, costing him a great deal of money and heroin. He uses the body to blackmail
the two into murdering Mackey, whom Mitchell sees as the biggest threat to his drug business; the bullets in the body would be traced to Vendrell's pistol, implicating him in the killing. However, instead of doing as he was told, Vendrell asks for Mackey's help. After finding the girl's body with a hidden camera, they catch footage of Mitchell restating his offer of "a body for a body." This ultimately forces Mitchell to plead guilty to the girl's murder and attempting to order the death of a police officer.
murder a prison inmate, Mitchell tried to free himself from his sentence by using information regarding the inner workings of a Salvadoran drug cartel
in order to get a DEA
immunity. However, Captain Monica Rawlings sacrificed her job by ordering Vic to build a case against the Salvadorans himself. Although the DEA was enraged, Mitchell's deal was voided and the drug lord will never get a chance to leave prison.
Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh
to give up information on the Strike Team in exchange for their incarceration
at his prison. However, he makes a separate deal with Mackey to provide financial assistance for the One Niners in exchange for Curtis "Lem" Lemansky
's protection in prison. The deal goes through, but only pulls in a small haul of cash. Combined with Kavanaugh's investigation of the prison system that puts a cramp in Mitchell's personal comfort, Mitchell declared the deal off and vowed to have Lemansky murdered, no matter which prison he was sent to.
In the aftermath, Mackey and the Strike Team hid Lemansky in a trailer park
. The heat brought on by IAD led to Lemansky's murder at the hands of Shane Vendrell. Determined to wreak bloody revenge on Lemansky's murderer, Vic paid a visit to Antwon in prison. Although the drug lord was flattered that Vic blamed him for all the ills in the world, he admitted that he had nothing to do with it and gloated over Vic's situation, realising that Vic would only be questioning him about the murder if he didn't have any real leads.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the FX television show The Shield
The Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
, portrayed by Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He has starred in his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The...
.
Character overview
Mitchell is a former drug lordDrug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
who, having been released from prison after a lengthy sentence, tried to reinvent himself as an upstanding community activist. However, he has secretly secured power as the most powerful drug boss in the district, leading a gang called the One Niners.
Early life
Mitchell's childhood was not a pleasant one. He was an overweight loner who was too frightened to protect his young sister from their sexually abusiveChild sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
father. His mother later shot and killed his father, for which she was sentenced to life in prison. Monica Rawling reveals and uses this information against Mitchell during an interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
. While imprisoned, his mother was impregnated by a prison guard and bore Antwon's half-brother, Jason Porter.
Relationship with police
Mitchell has a longstanding feud with Captain Monica Rawling, the officer who sent him to prison. The two square off at a community meeting regarding the new implementation of Rawling's seizure policyAsset forfeiture
Asset forfeiture is confiscation, by the State, of assets which are either the alleged proceeds of crime or the alleged instrumentalities of crime, and more recently, alleged terrorism. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was allegedly used to facilitate crime, for example cars...
. The events of the fourth season unfolded from this confrontation.
Detective Shane Vendrell
Shane Vendrell
Detective Shane Vendrell is a fictional character on the FX Networks police drama television series The Shield. He is portrayed by actor Walton Goggins....
, attempting to emulate his former mentor Vic Mackey
Vic Mackey
Detective Victor Samuel "Vic" Mackey, portrayed by Michael Chiklis, was the antihero and main protagonist of the FX crime drama series The Shield. Mackey was a corrupt and brutal Detective in the Los Angeles Police Department; he stole from drug dealers, routinely beat suspects and committed murder...
, actively pursues a possible partnership with Mitchell. With Vendrell on Mitchell's payroll, he and his partner, Armando "Army" Renta help Mitchell eliminate his rivals and ultimately become head of the One Niners. Not satisfied with simply paying cops to do his dirty work, Mitchell seeks to dominate Shane and his partner. After being provoked several times by Vendrell, Mitchell's thugs attack him and Renta in a warehouse. With his foot on Vendrell's neck and using his police issue pistol, Mitchell murders the 11-year-old girl who had informed on his drug ring, costing him a great deal of money and heroin. He uses the body to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
the two into murdering Mackey, whom Mitchell sees as the biggest threat to his drug business; the bullets in the body would be traced to Vendrell's pistol, implicating him in the killing. However, instead of doing as he was told, Vendrell asks for Mackey's help. After finding the girl's body with a hidden camera, they catch footage of Mitchell restating his offer of "a body for a body." This ultimately forces Mitchell to plead guilty to the girl's murder and attempting to order the death of a police officer.
Attempt at immunity
After helping Councilman David AcevedaDavid Aceveda
David Segovia Aceveda, played by Benito Martinez, is a character on FX's television crime drama The Shield.Originally, he was the captain of "the Barn", a fictional LAPD precinct in the also-fictional Farmington district of Los Angeles, California...
murder a prison inmate, Mitchell tried to free himself from his sentence by using information regarding the inner workings of a Salvadoran drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
in order to get a DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
immunity. However, Captain Monica Rawlings sacrificed her job by ordering Vic to build a case against the Salvadorans himself. Although the DEA was enraged, Mitchell's deal was voided and the drug lord will never get a chance to leave prison.
Prison life
Since his imprisonment, Mitchell has risen to a place of power within the prison, essentially running it, to the extent that he is depicted in one scene enjoying an illicit encounter with a female admirer in a prison storeroom, with prison guards speaking to him deferentially. He also supports a revival of the fading One Niners gang and even attempts to run his drug ring from inside. He also makes a deal with Internal AffairsInternal affairs (law enforcement)
The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force...
Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh
Jon Kavanaugh
Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh is a fictional Lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department on the FX television show The Shield. He was portrayed by method actor Forest Whitaker.-Kavanaugh's career before the investigation:...
to give up information on the Strike Team in exchange for their incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
at his prison. However, he makes a separate deal with Mackey to provide financial assistance for the One Niners in exchange for Curtis "Lem" Lemansky
Curtis Lemansky
Curtis Lemansky, more commonly known as "Lem" or "Lemonhead", is a fictional police detective on the FX original drama The Shield, played by actor Kenny Johnson.-Personal life:Little is known about Lemansky's personal life...
's protection in prison. The deal goes through, but only pulls in a small haul of cash. Combined with Kavanaugh's investigation of the prison system that puts a cramp in Mitchell's personal comfort, Mitchell declared the deal off and vowed to have Lemansky murdered, no matter which prison he was sent to.
In the aftermath, Mackey and the Strike Team hid Lemansky in a trailer park
Trailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
. The heat brought on by IAD led to Lemansky's murder at the hands of Shane Vendrell. Determined to wreak bloody revenge on Lemansky's murderer, Vic paid a visit to Antwon in prison. Although the drug lord was flattered that Vic blamed him for all the ills in the world, he admitted that he had nothing to do with it and gloated over Vic's situation, realising that Vic would only be questioning him about the murder if he didn't have any real leads.