SC town, former cop who killed unarmed man in Georgetown will pay his family $1 million
The family of a man shot and killed during 2022 by a police officer in Georgetown County recently settled its wrongful death claim against the former officer and town that employed her.
Cassandra Dollard, a Hemingway Police Department sergeant at the time, shot and killed Robert Langley during the early morning hours on Feb. 6, 2022 after engaging in high-speed chase that ended with Langley crashing his car into a ditch.
Dollard, who is facing a voluntary manslaughter charge in relation to the shooting, Williamsburg County and the Town of Hemingway reached a settlement with the Langley family for $1 million, court records show. Robert Langley, 46, had 10 children, his mother previously told a judge.
Dollard’s criminal case appears to have stalled since she was released on $15,000 bail with no court appearance since May 2022, according to online court records. Tonya Root, a spokeswoman for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, told The Sun News that no court appearances are scheduled and the case remains pending.
Dollard first attempted to pull Langley over after he disregarded a stop sign in Williamsburg County, and she pursued him at speeds exceeding 100 mph when he failed to stop, according to a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division arrest warrant. She continued the chase into Georgetown County, outside the officer’s jurisdiction.
When Langley’s car crashed into the ditch, he attempted to exit through the passenger door, the warrant states. Dollard slipped approaching the vehicle and shot Langley in the chest, later telling SLED agents she was in fear for her safety, though Langley was unarmed. Langley later died from his injuries at a hospital.
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Dollard had been terminated from two previous law enforcement positions, including as a corporal with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety in 2014 after shooting at a pair of dogs while off duty and failing to tell her supervisor for several hours, The Sun News previously reported.
That spotty job history should have prevented Hemingway from hiring Dollard, the Langley family’s lawsuit argued.
The civil case wasn’t allowed to move forward until the criminal case was resolved due to discovery restrictions, court records show. The $1 million settlement represented the liability insurance policy limit for Dollard and Hemingway, according to the agreement.
William Freeman, Hemingway’s town administrator, previously told The Sun News that Dollard was terminated shortly after the shooting, though South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy records suggest she was allowed to retire.
“The former Chief allowed Cassandra to retire from the information I was told (before) she was charged from a criminal case,” Hemingway Police Chief Tim Hood wrote to the academy in Jan. 2024, noting the former chief never sent paperwork showing Dollard had left the department.
Freeman did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking information about the discrepancy.
