Police in Mississippi have arrested a 19-year-old suspect who is accused of killing two and wounding four others April 30 at a house party on the Gulf Coast.
Cameron Everest Brand was identified by witnesses and victims as the alleged sole perpetrator of a shooting that took place early Sunday morning at approximately 12:30 a.m. Upon arriving at the scene, Bay St. Louis police found multiple gunshot victims ranging from 15 to 18 years of age, according to a press release from the police department.
Brand was initially arrested and charged with six charges of aggravated assault. But after two victims, aged 16 and 18, succumbed to their injuries at the University Medical Center in New Orleans, his charges were upgraded to include homicide, CNN reported. (RELATED: 11 Injured In Early Morning South Carolina Park Shooting)
De’Arreis “DD” Smith, the 18-year-old victim, was a senior preparing to graduate from Hancock High School. “De’Arreis Smith was an amazing soul, a loyal friend, brother and uncle,” family friend Kecia Sams stated, according to the Associated Press. “He was loved by many and will be missed so very much by his family.”
Haeleigh Stamper, the 16-year-old victim, was also a student at Hancock High School and was remembered as a “sweet soul” by Lillie Smith who organized a GoFundMe page in Stamper’s honor. “You could never not smile around her. Her beautiful smile would light the whole room up. Someone so sweet & adorable like her didn’t deserve this at all,” Smith wrote of the teen.
Smith revealed that Stamper sustained three gunshot wounds at the party, which was an after-prom event. (RELATED: Nine Teens Shot At After-Prom Party In Texas)
“Our hearts are broken as we mourn the tragic loss of two Hancock High School students who were victims of the shooting in Bay St. Louis last night,” the Hancock County school district said in a statement, according to The AP. “Let us come together as a community to show our support and love during this difficult time.”
Those injured are continuing to undergo treatment at local hospitals.
Brand was denied bail and is being held in the Hancock County jail, according to the AP.