Posted on 10/21/2006 8:06:45 PM PDT by somniferum
OXFORD, Miss.-A University of Mississippi police officer was killed early Saturday morning while conducting a traffic stop near the university campus.
Officer Robert Langley, 30, had stopped a vehicle for speeding when the driver suddenly pulled away, dragging him approximately 200 yards. Langley suffered severe head injuries and was taken by helicopter to the Medical Center in Memphis where he was pronounced dead.
Within 30 minutes of the incident, Oxford Police detained 20-year-old Daniel Cummings, a second-year UM student from Germantown, Tenn. Cummings has been charged with capital murder of police officer and is being held in the Lafayette County Detention Center.
A four-year veteran of the University Police Department, Langley had returned in April from serving with the National Guard in Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Lisa, two sons and two stepdaughters.
"There are no words to describe the heartache we feel. This is a tragedy for so many people in so many ways, and our hearts are grieving for Officer Langley's family," said Chancellor Robert Khayat. "He served his country when it needed him and, like police officers everywhere, he was dedicated to making our communities safe. This is a tragic event for us all."
The incident is the first death in the line of duty for a University of Mississippi police officer, said UPD Chief Jeffrey VanSlyke.
"We are a small department and something like this hits everyone very hard," said VanSlyke. "Every law enforcement officer knows the potential danger every time they go to work. Robert Langley was a devoted father, a respected police officer. He was our brother."
"Knowing him and his family it is obvious to me that he would never INTENTIONALLY do that."
"I am just saying obviously it wasn't in his intention to kill him."
These are your comments, not mine. If you "don't know him all that well" why make statements like the above. His actions speak for themselves.
No kidding!
Wow, they look a lot alike.
Strange thread.
IMO a cop killer is a cop killer, no matter his parentage, motivation, or favorite type of breakfast cereal.
Agreed.
It's amazing. No linked sources, just personal testimony from people we don't know.
What a jerk the killer was. It's the same with the whole road rage thing - what does it matter if somebody gets ahead of you, if you get a ticket, or if some twit is driving badly (pull out the cell phone and call the local Highway Patrol, because that's going to be a lot worse for them than having you freak out and challenge them). Life is short and these things aren't important at all in the long run.
Of course, now that this guy has got a murder charge against him, it's going to be a heck of a lot more important. As well it should be.
Rachel & Chastity thanks for posting. Welcome aboard.
Condolences to you, the rest of Robbie's family and friends. America's finest has certainly been lost.
Slain officers life was rich with faith, family
by Lucy Schultze, Staff Writer
Oxford Eagle
The widow of University Police officer Robert Langley is cherishing the memories of their relationship as she makes plans to bury him Wednesday.
I just cant even tell you what an awesome man he was, Lisa Langley said of her husband, a 30-year-old National Guard veteran who died Saturday morning from head injuries after a college student he had stopped for speeding drove off down West Jackson Avenue, dragging him behind for some 200 yards.
As she deals with the shocking loss, Lisa Langley said she is now simply trying to get all the arrangements finalized and do what he would have wanted.
He was just very dedicated and always wanted to do things the right way, she said Monday afternoon.
He was a Christian thats part of the wonderful relationship that we had. I knew that he loved God and I know hes in Heaven, and thats a burden off of me that I dont have to wonder.
Athletic standout
Langleys obituary details, provided by Wells Funeral Home of Batesville, tells the story of a young man who excelled at physical activities, musical skills and in his career as a policeman and soldier.
He joined the ROTC as a high-school student at Madison-Ridgeland Academy, signing up for the Mississippi Army National Guard a year before his graduation in 1995.
At MRA, he played football, ran track and was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. While on the track team, he won the state championship in both the 100-meter dash and the high jump. He was also an avid soccer and baseball player.
After graduation, he attended Valley Forge Military College in Valley Forge, Pa., for one year, and then transferred to Delta State University in Cleveland. At both schools he played football as a running back. He later received a mortuary science degree from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Following a brief career in the funeral business, he worked for the University of Mississippi Grounds Department for several years before beginning his career in law enforcement with UPD in 2004.
Called to duty
In February of 2005 he was called to active duty with the 114th Battalion from New Albany. He served his country for 14 months in Afghanistan, and upon returning rejoined UPD, where he was promoted to the K-9 Unit.
A distinguished honor of his law-enforcement career was being chosen to be the personal bodyguard for Prince Edward while he toured the university campus in February 2005.
Off-duty, Langley was an avid bass fisherman and outdoorsman who also enjoyed the talent of being able to play most any musical instrument.
He was involved in church during his childhood years and rededicated his life to Christ in January 2005 at Sardis Lake Baptist Church in Batesville.
At home, he and his wife enjoyed spending time as a family with children Claire, 9, Robbie and Maci, both 6, and Cory, 1.
We loved to ride our four-wheeler and just play with our kids, Lisa Langley said. He was a family man. He was a wonderful, wonderful husband and I just cant even tell you how he loved his kids.
Link for above article:
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/news1.html
hes not getting out of it. he was drunk and had been doing cocaine. he isn't getting out of it
no they didn't find him in a dorm. i don't know about his parents but when he fled the scene he went to a friends house that i know personally and while cummings called his parents, the friends called the cops. they got him there.
onyx - if you get any more info on this would you please ping me?
No doubt drugs, especially coke and harder drugs, can make you do things you wouldn't normally do.
What did your friend say about Daniel's state of mind when he showed up at his house, do you know?
At any rate, it seems we have lost a very fine American man. Condolences to his family.
Looka alot alike my a$$. My cousin was a very handsome man, look at that kid, thats not near handsome. Thats nasty.
Sorry if I made a mistake. I was just repeating what I heard the victim's brother-in-law say on the radio.
Yeah, i dont see a resemblance either. A good looking young officer and a criminal...
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