Video released in shooting death of Hemingway man by former South Carolina officer
A police dashcam video released Tuesday shows a former South Carolina officer fatally shooting an unarmed Hemingway man after a Feb. 6 high-speed chase through Williamsburg County.
Attorneys for the family of victim, Robert Junior Langley, 46, released the footage. Langley is Black. The chase ended in Georgetown County.
The officer who shot him, Cassandra Dollard, is also Black and was arrested and booked into the Georgetown County jail on Feb. 9.
She faces a voluntary manslaughter charge in connection to Langley’s death. She was fired from the Hemingway Police Department following the shooting.
The video, released by the Strom Law Firm, begins with Langley driving down a neighborhood street.
It’s not clear what caught Dollard’s attention, but she turns on her cruiser’s blue lights as Langley drives past and pulls out to follow him. The video shows Langley roll past a stop sign before coming to a stop between the sign and the intersection.
Dollard radios the location of the stop before Langley makes a right-hand turn and speeds away.
Langley then runs a red light.
The video shows Dollard following Langley as he evades her for about five minutes.
Langley’s vehicle then crashes into a utility pole and Dollard begins shouting commands at him off camera.
The video then shows Dollard ordering Langley to stay in the car and show her his hands.
Langley complies and both of his hands are clearly visible sticking out his car window.
As Dollard comes into view, she passes the driver’s side of the car and walks toward the passenger side of Langley’s vehicle. She has her gun drawn.
At that point, Langley is no longer visible on the driver’s side.
Once Dollard makes it to the passenger side, Langley begins opening the door and appears to try to leave the car.
Dollard slips and falls down, the video shows. As she is tries to get up while pointing her gun at Langley, he attempts to leave the car.
“Don’t you come out of there,” Dollard can be heard shouting to Langley as he appears to crawl out on his stomach.
Dollard then shoots him once.
Langley immediately falls to the ground, and Dollard questions him about what’s in his hand.
Langley’s response is inaudible on the video.
“You had something in your hand, sir,” Dollard says.
She then walks off screen toward her vehicle before walking back over to Langley.
She repeatedly tells him to “be still” and asks him “what’s in your hand, sir?”
Dollard can be heard radioing police headquarters that she shot Langley.
“Central, be advised, one shot fired, he had something in his hand,” she says.
Dollard tells Langley help is on the way and goes off screen to retrieve her flashlight. She returns and begins performing CPR for about seven minutes until other officers arrive.
Langley can be heard groaning.
As more officers arrive, Dollard continues to do compressions.
She speaks to Langley throughout.
“There you go sir. Just keep breathing for me, I’ve got help coming,” Dollard says. “Take a breath for me, take a breath for me, take a breath for me.”
EMS arrives a few minutes later.
Dollard tells other officers what happened.
“I stopped him for a traffic violation. He stopped before I could get out of the car to get to him and took off, and here we are,” Dollard says. “I don’t know what he had in his hand, I just know he had something in his hand.”
“It’s clear from the video that Officer Dollard was out of her depth,” Civil Rights attorney Bakari Sellers said in a press release that accompanied the video. “She never should have been cleared to wear a badge and carry a gun and Robert Junior Langley paid for it with his life.”
Sellers, state Sen. Gerald Malloy and Horry County Attorney Brana Williams said they will take legal action to hold Dollard, the Town of Hemingway and the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy responsible for Langley’s death.
Future lawsuits could also include Williamsburg County, they added.
“Let’s be clear. Officer Dollard pulled the trigger, but the Hemingway Police Department gave her the gun and the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy cleared her to use it,” Malloy said in the release. “It’s a dramatic failure at every level and it’s difficult to watch.”
After the shooting, Langley was taken to Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, where he died, according to Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway.
Dollard, 52, was a sergeant with the Hemingway department until Feb. 10, according to Town Administrator William Freeman.
She was terminated the day after her arrest
A Georgetown County judge set bail at $150,000.
She was released on bond, the jail website shows.
Bond conditions included a no-contact order at the request of the Langley family attorney.
The police chase began when Langley ran a stop sign about 1:24 a.m., Dollard’s arrest warrant states.
The pursuit crossed county lines, ultimately ending in a wreck at Choppee and Schoolhouse roads in Georgetown County.
Community members, family and friends marched Feb. 19 to honor Langley’s memory and call for justice.
Dozens gathered for the “Stop Killing Us” rally in front of the Boys and Girls Club in Hemingway, Langley’s hometown.
Langley’s family held a press conference last month, calling for Dollard to be held responsible.
“When people watch this video, I hope they realize that this isn’t just some statistic,” Langley’s mother, Roslyn Langley, said in the release that accompanied the video Tuesday.
“He was a father, a brother, a son and they killed him for nothing.”
“They left a hole in our lives and it could happen to anyone.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 11:59 AM.
