In a tragic incident that has gripped two communities, a cadet from The Citadel and a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard tragically lost his life in Florida. Authorities are urgently seeking leads in the case after the bodies of two young men were discovered in an empty lot.
The grim discovery took place in DeLand, as police reported finding Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, both shot to death late Wednesday night. Investigators have yet to determine the motive behind this act of violence, nor have they named a suspect publicly. The two victims shared a longstanding friendship dating back to their childhood.
At the time of his death, Rose was enjoying a break from his studies at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina. He had recently fulfilled a significant milestone by joining the South Carolina Army National Guard, working tirelessly toward his lifelong goal of a military career. According to a report by FOX 35, his ambitions and dedication were well known to those close to him.
Dustin Rose, a promising 19-year-old cadet from The Citadel, was on a path to realize his military dreams when his life was abruptly ended. (GoFundMe)
In an effort to uncover more about this mysterious case, police have issued a still from surveillance footage captured the night before the grim event. The footage shows the two friends walking side by side, though it remains unclear whether they were targeted in this senseless attack.
One of the victims’ mothers may have been among the family members who found the two dead after they went unreachable by phone, authorities previously said.
Campbell, who’s originally from DeLand, was living with his aunt Karen Chobin in the Chicago area. Chobin said Campbell was in town to mourn the death of his family’s 8-year-old dog, who recently died, and was staying with Rose’s grandparents.
Childhood friends Dustin Rose, left, and Samson Campbell, right, were fatally shot in a vacant Florida lot as police search for a suspect. (DeLand Police Department)
Rose was in DeLand to help Campbell spread his dog’s ashes, Chobin said.
“It was a traumatic loss. It wasn’t a passing of old age. It was awful. And then for this to be what he’s welcomed with when he goes down there to mourn his loss is devastating,” Chobin said.
Rose’s aunt, Jaimie Scarola, told FOX 35 his life was taken too soon.
“He was willing to go to the front line and fight for our freedom, including the freedom of the one who took him from us,” Scarola said. “You took him away from not only his family, but you robbed an entire country of a future soldier who didn’t get to answer that call.”
Surveillance video shows Dustin Rose and Samson Campbell walking together on Tuesday evening, the day before they were found dead. (DeLand Police Department)
While a suspect hasn’t yet been identified, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on Saturday night at a home in DeLand with help from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, according to FOX 35.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the DeLand Police Department through Crime Watch or to reach the Criminal Investigations Division at 386-626-7400.