SC Deputy Killed in Ambush, First Since 1945

Deputy Devin Mason, 27, of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, was killed and another deputy injured during an ambush while responding to a call for a wanted person at a residence on Old Timers Court in Darlington County, South Carolina. The suspect, Cameron Ray Dennett, 25, who had warrants for criminal conspiracy, forgery, and second-degree computer crimes and was prohibited from possessing a firearm, was also killed in the shootout. Another individual at the scene, Kristen Porter, 28, was arrested on similar charges. Mason had just completed his field training after graduating from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy earlier this year. This incident marks the first on-duty death for the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office since 1945, leading to a state-ordered flag-lowering and an outpouring of community condolences. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating, with the incident occurring amid a rise in violent gun crimes in the area.