Officer Robert Langley was a four-year veteran of the University Police Department.
UM Police Officer Killed During Traffic Stop
First UPD Officer Killed in Line of Duty
10/21/2006
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."
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