Fourteen-year-old Cameron Horne-Crook was a student at Northwest Rankin Middle School who played on the eighth-grade football team and was looking forward to starting high school. On the evening of March 25, 2024, he was picked up by an acquaintance from a friend’s house in the Brandon Reservoir area; police say the group was joyriding when Cameron was shot multiple times in the back of the vehicle. His body was found on Ridgecrest Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three Rankin County teenagers were arrested in the days afterward. Police arrested 17-year-old John Foote and 16-year-old Maxle Mooneyham two days after the shooting, and 15-year-old Siyaski Crawford the following day. Authorities stated they believed Foote fired the shots; investigators also alleged Mooneyham cleaned his car after returning to Rankin County. All three were initially charged as adults with murder. Foote was denied bond; Mooneyham and Crawford had $1.5 million bonds. In April 2024 prosecutors dismissed the murder charges against Mooneyham and Crawford, leaving Mooneyham charged with tampering with evidence and Crawford’s case sent to a grand jury as accessory after the fact. Foote remains charged with murder and is awaiting further court proceedings.

Police have not publicly released a motive; Cameron’s mother believes the killing was born out of just hate. If anyone has information, contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS.