Deputy Devin Mason, 27, was killed in an ambush while on duty in Lamar, South Carolina, in the early morning hours of July 1, 2025. Mason had just completed his field training in the week before the shooting and was responding with another deputy to a wanted-person call at a residence on Old Timers Court around 1:30 a.m. According to reports, the suspect, 25-year-old Cameron Ray Dennett, opened fire on the officers; both Mason and Dennett were fatally wounded in the exchange. The other deputy was injured and reported to be in stable condition.

Dennett was being sought on charges including criminal conspiracy, forgery, and a computer crime, and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Two other people were arrested in connection with the incident: 28-year-old Kristen Porter, who was wanted on criminal conspiracy and forgery charges and was taken into custody at the scene, and Dennett’s 77-year-old mother, Linda Perry Dennett, who was later charged with obstruction of justice and misprision of a felony after admitting she knew her son was in the house and armed despite telling deputies he was not.

What did neighbors or anyone in Lamar see or hear that night that could shed light on how the encounter began?