Roll of Honor
Edward Frazier Langford
Incident
Rural Police Officer Frazier Langford was killed when he and a game warden attempted to arrest a suspect for careless and reckless driving. Visitors to Beaufort reported that they had been forced off the road by three men and a woman in a Buick near Grays Hill. Officer Langford later spotted the Buick and its occupants at a family reunion and ball game along the Savannah Highway five miles from Beaufort. As Officer Langford attempted to arrest the driver a fight ensued. The crowd rapidly turned on Officer Langford as the driver's father ran up behind him and shot him in the back. The volunteer, armed only with a two-shot derringer, fired one shot and then fled in Officer Langford's patrol car to seek help. Later examination would reveal that Officer Langford was shot, stabbed, kicked, beaten, bludgeoned, and bit several times. The driver, his father, and his family were apprehended later that afternoon in Ridgeland. The driver, his wife, father, and three other men were charged with first-degree murder. The defendants were all tried together in 1927. The National Guard had to be deployed by Governor Richards to prevent a lynching. The driver, his father, and another man were sentenced to death. Two were sentenced to life. One was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 1929 Governor Richards commuted the death sentences to life. In 1935 Governor Ibra C. Blackwood commuted the five life terms to 10 years.
Survivors
Officer Langford was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-72E0DD56- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Rural Police Officer Langford served with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Beaufort community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Rural Police Officer Langford.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Rural Police Officer Edward Frazier Langford is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Edward Frazier Langford's cause is highlighted.
How Edward Frazier Langford Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Edward Frazier Langford is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Edward Frazier Langford was killed by gun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Beaufort County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
