Police in DeLand, Florida, discovered the bodies of two young men shot to death in a vacant lot on Wednesday night, prompting a homicide investigation.
The victims were identified as 19‑year‑old Dustin Rose and 18‑year‑old Samson Campbell, longtime friends who had grown up together.
Rose was a cadet at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina and had recently joined the South Carolina Army National Guard while on a break from his studies.
Campbell, a native of DeLand, was staying with his aunt in the Chicago area and had traveled to Florida to mourn the recent death of his family’s eight‑year‑old dog.
Family members reported the men missing after they could not be reached by phone; when they arrived at the location, they found the victims deceased.
Surveillance footage released by investigators shows Rose and Campbell walking together the evening before the shooting, though authorities have not determined whether they were specifically targeted.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at a DeLand residence on Saturday night, assisted by the local sheriff’s SWAT team and a federal task force.
Police continue to seek information from the public and ask anyone with relevant details to contact the DeLand Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
