Here is why Horry County officers won’t face charges in summer fatal shooting of ex-cop
Horry County police were cleared in the deadly shooting of a former officer in the Socastee area over the summer.
Jimmy Richardson, Solicitor for the 15th Judicial Circuit, cleared the officers—David Langlais and Tre’Sean McQueen—for their roles in the shooting. In a letter, Richardson wrote that the officers returned fire as a last resort and were acting in self-defense and defense of the community.
The decision effectively ends the investigation into the shooting of Wade Phillips, 49, by Horry police on Jan. 8.
Officers went to Amberwood Court about 8 p.m. for a disturbance. The subdivision is in the Socastee area of Horry County. There, police encountered Phillips and shot and killed him. Phillips was a 26-year law enforcement veteran, mostly in Virginia.
A witness, Robert Gould, said Phillips started to bang on his door around 8 p.m. Gould answered the door, where Phillips confronted him. Gould told The Sun News that Phillips said he recently had two friends die.
Gould said he asked what happened, which is when Phillip began to ask if he had a problem with the police.
The argument escalated until the Gould family had to slam the door shut to keep Phillips from getting inside. It was moments later, Gould saw Phillips carrying a rifle bag as police arrived at the scene.
Gould said Phillips removed the rifle and shot out the back window of a police cruiser. The Gould family took cover on the ground as the shooting unfolded.
“Then I heard the rifle shots. Then I heard the pistol shots,” Gould said. “Then I heard quiet.”
Richardson wrote in the letter that Phillips was inebriated and made threats to the neighbors. When the officers arrived, Phillips was carrying a loaded rifle and told them, “Hey, let’s get it on.”
The officers took cover and Phillips shot at him. The cops yelled for Phillips to put down his gun, but he continued to shoot and move towards the officers, Richardson noted.
