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'Law & Order: SVU' season 17 spoilers news: Major character to die in the finale? Showrunner hints episode to focus on 'tragedy and transition'

Warren Leight makes sure Barba (Raul Esparza) gets the spotlight in "Law and Order: SVU" season 17 finale "Heartfelt Passages." | Michael Parmelee/NBC

The season 17 finale of long-running police procedural series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is just around the corner, and viewers will see a heart-wrenching episode as one major character's life hangs in the balance.

If the newly-released promo clip for the upcoming finale titled "Heartfelt Passages" is any indication, the show's 17th season will most likely end in an emotional episode. As seen in the teaser, Lt. Benson tells a woman suffering from domestic violence never to come back to her house until her abusive husband leaves the premises. The next scene featured the husband holding his wife captive, and the next events did not go too well. As it turns out, the husband is armed with a gun, and he points it to Sgt. Mike Dodds. He threatens to kill the officer if he does not leave, but Sgt. Dodds refused to follow his orders. Because of that, the husband eventually pulls the trigger. In the last few seconds of the video, Lt. Benson is calling for an ambulance, and it sure seems like Sgt. Dodds was in a critical condition.

In an interview with TV Guide, outgoing showrunner Warren Leight teased that the upcoming finale will be filled with "tragedy and transition" as well as "loss and love." The case against corrections officer Gary Munson will continue to heat up, and Barbara will fear for her safety as she starts receiving death threats. The complications in the finale will definitely carry over to the next season. "From prison abuse to domestic violence to the most dangerous situations a cop or DA can walk into – this finale changes everything," Leight said.

The official synopsis for the final episode reads:

"When the investigation of Corrections Officer Gary Munson (guest star Brad Garrett) deepens, he and his union take drastic actions that threaten the lives of ADA Barba (Raul Esparza) and the SVU squad."

Catch the intense season 17 finale of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" on May 25, Wednesday at 9 p.m. on NBC.