In the winter of 2012, the city of Memphis lost one of its own in a burst of violence that cut short a life of service and motherhood. Martoiya Veontwanneice Woods Lang, a 32-year-old African American female and a dedicated officer with the Memphis Police Department, was killed in the line of duty on December 14th. For nine and a half years, she had worn the badge, and on that fateful day, she was part of a team from the Organized Crime Unit executing a narcotics search warrant at a residence on Mendenhall Court. The operation took a tragic turn when officers were met with gunfire from within the house.
As the police team entered the home, a man inside opened fire, ambushing the officers. Officer Lang was struck and fatally wounded. Another officer was also hit but survived. Despite their injuries, the officers were able to return fire, striking and injuring the gunman. The man who fired the fatal shots was identified as Treveno Campbell. In the aftermath of the shooting, a subsequent investigation was launched by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation into the conduct of two other officers at the scene, following inconsistencies in their accounts of the events that transpired after Officer Lang was shot.
Treveno Campbell was arrested and charged with the murder of Officer Lang. During his trial, prosecutors detailed how the officers had announced their presence with a 'no-knock' warrant. Campbell's defense argued that he was unaware he was shooting at police officers. The trial brought to light the inherent dangers faced by law enforcement and the split-second decisions that can have lasting consequences. Ultimately, a jury convicted Campbell of second-degree murder. For his role in the death of Officer Martoiya Lang, he was sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison, a sentence that also encompassed other charges related to the incident. Officer Lang, a mother of four, was remembered for her dedicated service to the Memphis community, and her death marked the first female officer to be killed in the line of duty in the city's history.
