
South Carolina deputy shot and killed in what sheriff says was an ambush
The suspect in the shooting was also killed, the Darlington County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputy Devin Mason and the second officer were inside a home near Lamar around 1:30 a.m. when they were attacked, the sheriff's office said in a statement, without providing additional details.
Mason died, while the second officer, whose name was not immediately released, was in the hospital in stable condition, authorities said.
Cameron Ray Dennett, 25, also was killed in the shooting. He was wanted for criminal conspiracy, forgery and a computer crime and was not allowed to have a gun, deputies said.
A 28-year-old woman facing similar charges was taken into custody and was not hurt, investigators said,
Mason, 27, graduated from the state's criminal justice academy three months ago and had just finished field training last week, Darlington County Sheriff Michael August said in a statement.
'In his time with us, he demonstrated unwavering dedication, integrity, and professionalism,' August said, 'Deputy Mason served the people of Darlington County with heart and honor. Though his time with us was far too short, his impact will not be forgotten.'
The State Law Enforcement Division was investigating the shooting.
Mason is the first police officer in South Carolina shot and killed in the line of duty in more than three years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Inside the Republican revolt in the House over the Epstein files that led to the early summer recess for Congress
House Republicans revolted against GOP leadership over the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files in the days before Speaker Mike Johnson ushered in the chamber's early summer recess to avoid dealing with the crisis, according to a report. As controversy over the administration's refusal to release all government files related to the sex offender continues, Johnson faced a 'growing crisis' of his own among key GOP allies as leadership refused to bring any action on Epstein to the House floor, Politico reports. Behind the scenes, GOP leaders faced a 'standoff' with rank-and-file members who were 'incensed' when they were forced to vote against a Democratic-led effort to release the Epstein files a week before, according to the outlet. Some lawmakers reportedly 'begged' for action on Epstein in closed-door meetings as they warned Republican leadership that the problem wasn't going away. The new reported details illustrate the chaos of what was happening behind the scenes as President Donald Trump continues to be plagued by the case of the convicted pedophile. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of Virginia, chair of the House Rules Committee that serves as a final gatekeeper to legislation where a simple majority vote is required, threatened to bring activity on the House floor to a halt unless a better solution to the Epstein issue was put forward, two people with knowledge of the conversation told Politico. The rebellion prompted Trump to meet with GOP members of the House Rules Committee in the Oval Office Tuesday, according to the outlet. Johnson moved to shut down the committee, which meant that the House will not be able to tee up votes to pass many of the spending bills that Congress hoped to pass before the August recess, when members break to go back to their districts. But Johnson likely faces further rebellion in September. 'I think the administration will put more stuff out in August … if they don't, then I promise you, there's going to be some more looking at this in the first week of September,' warned Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. Republican lawmakers have expressed anger over the Epstein fallout, and said they are under intense pressure from constituents on the issue. The rebellion of House Republicans who favored releasing more documents in the Epstein case came as a 'surprise' to White House officials, according to Politico. One anonymous GOP member told CNN that members wanted a chance to vote on the issue. 'To be accused of trying to cover up for a pedophile, it's detestable,' they told the network. Word had got out that Democrats were planning to force an Epstein-related vote Monday. At a meeting with GOP Rules Committee members that evening, Johnson reportedly presented three options on how to proceed. Ultimately, leadership opted to halt the action of the House Rules Committee. 'The rule was going down anyway,' a source with knowledge of the meeting told Politico. 'So the choice was clear.' Johnson defended effectively shutting down the House while speaking with reporters Wednesday. 'No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents,' he said. The rebellion follows recent revelations that the Department of Justice told Trump that his name appears multiple times in the Epstein files, according to multiple senior administration sources. The sources told The Wall Street Journal that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, informed the president during a May meeting at the White House that the president's name emerged after they sifted through a 'truckload' of documents related to Epstein. Following the Journal's report, sources familiar with the exchange confirmed the account to both The New York Times and CNN. Appearing in the files does not indicate that an individual has committed any wrongdoing, nor has Trump ever been accused of misconduct in connection with the Epstein case. 'This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal,' White House communications director Steven Cheung said about the claims Trump was named.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Gunman convicted of murdering young man near Damilola Taylor Centre
A gunman has been found guilty of fatally shooting a young man in the head in an alleyway near the Damilola Taylor Centre. Jesse Lloyd-Smith, 20, was found by his mother fatally injured yards from their home in Peckham, south-east London, on July 10 2024. The killer, 19-year-old Gabriel Charles, travelled to the scene in an Ford S-Max car which was burnt out days later. The defendant, who fled the country after the shooting, had denied being present at the scene of the killing. On Thursday, a jury at the Old Bailey found Charles, from Southwark, south London, guilty of murder. Co-defendant Kywan JN Pierre, 18, from Selhurst, south London, was cleared of murder but convicted of plotting to pervert the course of justice. Five others were found guilty of helping dispose of evidence as the killer sought to evade justice. Previously, the court had heard how the silver-coloured Ford S-Max had driven slowly towards the alleyway at around 4.50pm last July 10. Prosecutor James Dawes KC had said: 'The S-Max passed the Damilola Taylor centre, turned the corner and stopped.' The gunman got out of the S-Max and ran towards the victim, firing at least five shots as he went, jurors had heard. Mr Dawes had said: 'Some of the shots hit Jesse knocking him to the ground. The gunman ran back to the car which drove away.' The victim's mother, Ty Lloyd-Smith, was in her flat only yards away and heard the noise of shots. Mr Dawes said: 'She saw the shooter but what she could not see was her son because he was in the alleyway. She feared the worst and she shouted out Jesse's name.' She ran downstairs to find her son lying on the ground, shot in the head, jurors heard. His friend, Jamie Burgess, was frantically trying to help him and told police a person called 'S' was involved. The victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but he died the next day. A search of the scene, with dogs, led to the recovery of four spent cartridges and two unfired bullets all from a 9mm automatic pistol. The shooting was partly captured on CCTV footage although it was from some distance away, Mr Dawes said. Ben Nguyen, 20, of no fixed address; Enver Francis, 22, from Southwark; Abdoul Guene, 18, from Peckham; Kadjo Kadio, 21, from Dartford; and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified, were found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by removing the Ford S-Max car and destroying it by fire two days later. Kadio, who voluntarily absented himself from the trial, and Nguyen were convicted of assisting an offender. Damilola Taylor, 10, was fatally stabbed in in Peckham, London, on November 27 2000.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Air Force pauses M18 pistol use after airman's death at Wyoming base
The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command has paused the use of a handgun following the death of a Security Forces airman at a base in Wyoming. The use of the M18 pistol, a variant of another gun that has been the target of lawsuits over unintentional discharge allegations, was paused Monday 'until further notice' following the 'tragic incident' on Sunday at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, the command said in a statement. Security Forces combat arms airmen at all command bases 'will conduct 100% inspections of the M18 handguns to identify any immediate safety concerns,' it said. The name of the active-duty airman, who was assigned to the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing at the base, and details of what happened have not been released. The missile wing said it was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the base or community. Security Forces specialists protect Air Force bases. The gun is made by New Hampshire-based manufacturer Sig Sauer, which is defending itself against multiple lawsuits alleging that its popular related gun, the P320 pistol, can go off without the trigger being pulled. Sig Sauer denies the claims, saying the P320 is safe and the problem is user error. It has prevailed in some cases. The P320 was adopted by the U.S. military as M17 and M18 pistols, and the M18 is now the official sidearm of all branches of the U.S. military, Sig Sauer says on its website. In 2019, Sig Sauer announced it had delivered its 100,000th M17 and M18s to the U.S. military. The pause is so far limited to the Global Strike Command, which includes more than 33,700 Airmen and civilians. The rest of the Air Force and the other armed services have not announced any orders to avoid using the pistols. 'Our hearts are with the service members and families impacted by the recent reported event at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base,' Sig Sauer said Wednesday in a statement posted on Facebook. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is in charge of the investigation. The command's statement says it collaborating with the Air Force Security Forces Center and Headquarters Air Force Security Forces 'to conduct a thorough review of the M18 and develop appropriate corrective measures.' Sig Sauer said it has offered to assist. The P320 was introduced in 2014. Sig Sauer offered a 'voluntary upgrade' in 2017 to reduce the weight of the trigger, among other features. Lawyers for people who have sued the gunmaker, many of them law enforcement officers, say the upgrade did not stop unintentional discharges. Earlier this year, Sig Sauer appealed a ban of the P320, M17 and M18 pistols by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, arguing that it appears to be based on inaccurate and incomplete information. The commission banned the weapons after a recruit said his P320 discharged while he was drawing it, even though his finger was not on the trigger. And just this month, Sig Sauer announced that the Michigan State Police is adopting the M18 as its primary sidearm. Several large multi-plaintiff cases have been filed since 2022 in New Hampshire's federal court, representing nearly 80 people who accuse Sig Sauer of negligence and defective product design and marketing. That's in addition to lawsuits filed in other states, including one in Pennsylvania last year alleging a wrongful death. They say the P320 design requires an external mechanical safety, a feature that is optional. The most recent New Hampshire case, representing 22 plaintiffs in 16 states, was filed in March. A judge heard arguments Monday on Sig Sauer's motions to dismiss the lawsuit or break it up and transfer it to districts where the plaintiffs live. There also was discussion of a 2-month-old law in New Hampshire, created in response to the lawsuits, that prohibits product liability claims against Sig Sauer and other gun makers based on the 'absence or presence' of the external safety and several other optional features. Claims can still be filed over manufacturing defects. The law hasn't yet been incorporated into the case.