William Langham, a Mississippi police officer named William Langham engaged in a high-speed chase on January 4. He was chasing down an SUV that, unfortunately, crashed into a pickup truck. This resulted in the deaths of the SUV driver, the pickup truck driver, and a pickup truck passenger. Langham has since been suspended without pay while he denies any wrongdoing.
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The fatal victims of the crash were confirmed to be SUV driver Jaqua Bluiett, 30, pickup truck driver Angela Davis, 43, and pickup truck passenger Michael Crutcher, 63. While Bluiett and Crutcher were pronounced dead at the scene, Davis later succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday, January 7.
According to WREG, the reason behind the chase has not been disclosed yet. The crash took place near the intersection of Dockery Drive and St. Paul Road in Marshall County. Langham's attorney, Michael Carr, shared a statement with the outlet.
"We had a meeting tonight with the Board of Byhalia on the pursuit issue that happened over the weekend. The Board's meeting in Executive Session and they'll make a determination in a short period of time," Carr said. "We presented our evidence that the officer did not engage in anything illegal, anything untoward or anything in violation of policy. We stand behind what he did and we look forward to clearing his name."
Tragic Deaths
Many of the victim's acquaintances and family have since talked to several outlets. "I heard it was him in that truck. It really did something to me," Taderio Woods, one of Crutcher's acquaintances, told WREG. "Like, Mike ain't never did nothing. All he did was try to help everybody."
Woods also talked with WMC, recounting how he heard the initial boom caused by the crash. He immediately rushed toward the site. "When I came back, I saw that the truck was on fire so when we saw the truck on fire," Woods told the outlet. "We instantly went to go get the water hose and try and put the fire out, and we could hear people in the car as it was on fire."
Crutcher's cousin, Michael Caradine, questioned the circumstances surrounding the chase, given the nature of the terrain. "They should not have been chasing that man, this is a side street, man. It's nothing but hills," Caradine told WMC. "They chased this guy running 100 miles an hour? Come on, man."
