MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The jury has found Treveno Campbell guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Officer Martoiya Lang.
The shooting happened in 2012 when police were executing a search warrant for drugs at Campbell’s home. Campbell fired shots — he said he didn’t know it was police — killing Lang and injuring another officer, William Vrooman.
The jury reached a guilty verdict Tuesday on the following charges: second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, three counts of reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to sell, unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm with intent to go armed during the commission of a dangerous felony.
He will be sentenced March 1.
The maximum sentence for the second-degree murder charge is 25 years, but the other convictions could add on to that. However, Campbell, 25, avoided a life sentence when the jury chose not to convict him of first-degree murder.
“If you’re going to be involved in criminal activity, one day you’re going to be held accountable for it,” prosecutor Reginald Henderson said after the verdict was read. “This is just one of those days in Shelby County when someone is being held accountable for what they did.”
“It has been a long time coming, but justice finally has been served, and the family of Officer Lang can have some closure,” District Attorney General Amy Weirich said.
Defense attorney William Massey said he respected the jury’s decision but was disappointed. He said Campbell told him, “I didn’t see this coming,” to which Massey agreed.
Massey said he was especially surprised at the guilty verdict for attempted murder against Sgt. Darryl Dotson, considering Dotson shot Campbell three times.
“We’re going to work toward the lowest sentence we can get on this,” he said. “I can’t help but feel in some way that he was at least somewhat justified in the reaction that he made.”
Massey added he plans to appeal, based in part on whether the jury should have been able to hear or read Officer Timothy Goodwin’s statements. Goodwin, the only other person in the room when Dotson shot Campbell, pleaded the fifth during the trial.
