BYHALIA, Miss. (AP) – A police pursuit in north Mississippi ends in a crash. killed 3 people He was suspended without pay.
Byhalia City Council members voted Wednesday to suspend William Langham after he chased an SUV across city limits on Jan. 4, WHBQ-TV reported.
The fleeing SUV collided with a pickup truck.
Those killed were 30-year-old SUV driver Jaqua Brouillette, 43-year-old pickup truck driver Angela Davis, and 63-year-old pickup truck passenger Michael Crutcher. A second passenger in the truck was injured.
Mr Langham denies any wrongdoing.
The suspension will remain at least until the Marshall County Sheriff's Office completes its investigation.
“We have presented evidence that the officers did not act illegally or improperly or in violation of policy,” attorney Michael Carr told WREG-TV.
“We support his actions and look forward to clearing his name.”
No one is saying why Langham started chasing SUVs.
The chase ended more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) outside Byhalia city limits.
Tadelio Woods, who lives at the scene of the crash, told WMC-TV that he heard a thud and rushed outside.
“When we came back, we saw the truck on fire. … We immediately went to get the water hose and tried to put out the fire, but we could hear people in the car.” Woods said.
Law enforcement agencies have long faced the question of whether the risks of some investigations outweigh the value of the resulting arrests. Crutcher's cousin, Michael Carradine, questioned why a police officer would pursue someone at such high speeds down a narrow rural road.
“They shouldn't have gone after that guy, this is a side street, dude. It's just a hill,” Kaladin told WMC-TV.
“Did they chase this guy going 160 miles an hour? Come on, dude.”
