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."
i am a student at Ole Miss. Our campus newspaper printed the story for todays issue. after pulling over cummings, the officer asked him to turn off the car. cummings refused to the officer leaned into the car and when he did so cummings sped off. the officer got stuck and was drug 200 feet. he died around 11 am in memphis about 8 hours after the incident. if you have any more questions just ask.
Very good question.
LOL --- heck, I just ventured a guess 2 days ago!
Lord have mercy.
Back to typing 101 for some posters, huh?
I believe your point is Daniel Cummings had no intent to kill, and we should not typecast students at Ole Miss. I agree on both points.
As you point out, Daniel is still responsible in full for officer Langley's death, and must suffer the consequences according to law.
Officer Langley was a highly productive and community oriented individual that served repeatedly with distinction. It is a tragedy almost beyond comprehension that Daniel chose to act so irresponsibly when facing the comparably minor consequences of a traffic stop even if he had been drinking. Officer Langley tried to help Daniel avoid the exact result of the traffic stop, an innocent citizen being killed.
This didn't have to happen, but it was Daniel's choice, not officer Langley's.
Including 2 "siblings" and 1 "cousin"
Daniel Cummings should have never been admitted to Ole Miss in the first place. He has a reputation of questionable activities that include multiple acts of vandalism in his home state. How convenient that his smashing of windshields with a baseball bat in Germantown was expunged from his record and nobody knew about it until the reporters went digging and uncovered the report by accident.
Cummings was driving under the influence of alcohol and also had cocaine in his possession during the frat row stop. For him to pin the officer's arm inside the vehicle during the melee and drag him the length of two football fields is despicable. I'll leave it at that since we all know the tragic outcome once he released Officer Langley from his grip and fell under the vehicle.
Nobody deserves to die like that, and no amount of money will spare his fate now. If he escapes the death penalty, then the inmates at Parchman will welcome him with open arms for the next 25 years. May God bless all families involved during this tragic time.
Thank you for your comments. When the article was first posted a couple of days ago, the information was still being gathered and compiled. You seem to know a lot about the suspect. Is his hometown newspaper carrying the story?
Interesting to see four or five new posters come to this thread. May I ask you how you found this thread and FR?
This officer's death is more than a tragedy. It was wholly unnecessary and brutal. My prayers are for his family.
Nothing but the sound of crickets chirping since you asked this question. (Same question I had.)
This isn't the first time new posters have shown up on MS crime threads. It's rather uncanny.
This thread is weird. I've never seen so many "in the know" n00bs. They usually resurect these things months later.
My FIL is a 30 year veteran with the Memphis police department, a retired veteran from the Air National Guard and honorably discharged from the Air Force. While I respect Officer Langley's sister's position, it would not be the same had it been my family member instead of hers. I wish her nothing but peace at this time, however there are other officers in harm's way today. What can we do for them?
I haven't either. New record for (as you said) "in the know n00bs." Quite amazing.
According to the local newspaper, his parents' home is located in a "posh" neighborhood IN Germantown.
Yea, I am sure they will pull out all of the stops on this kid. I would not doubt that if he did get off like that. It is so sad to know that my cousin lost their life over something so petty. I do pray for Daniel and especially his parents, can you imagine what they are feeling?
This was not a tragedy. It was not an "oops!" This was a murder. I don't care if Cummings is from Germantown or Orange Mound. I just find the excuses entertaining. I wonder if the media will be as impressed by his fair skin and zipcode?
because you grew up in a posh neighborhood that your parents could afoord does not make you the same thing.
You are correct. What it makes him is a run of the mill thug with enablers. His friends who are here defending him and suggesting this was just a mistake or a tragedy are only making his problem worse.
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