Hundreds attend North Carolina funeral for slain Darlington County deputy

CERRO GORDO, N.C. (WBTW) — A 27-year-old Darlington County sheriff’s deputy killed in a July 1 shootout with a suspect was laid to rest Tuesday in his North Carolina hometown in Columbus County.

Hundreds of people turned out for Devin Mason’s funeral at West Columbus High School in Cerro Gordo. Afterward, Mason was buried at the Williamson Crossroads Baptist Church Cemetery in his North Carolina hometown of Fair Bluff.

Mason and another deputy were ambushed and shot when they went to a mobile home near Lamar to look for man man wanted on conspiracy and forgery charges. The suspect, Cameron Ray Dennett, was also shot and killed. The second deputy, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized but has been recovering at home.

Mason leaves behind a 2-month-old son, a fiancé, and his mother and his stepfather, according to the group Serve & Connect. The group announced a fundraiser to benefit his family in partnership with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, the South Carolina Police Chiefs Association, the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association and the South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police. It has raised more than $23,000 for his family.

The incident is being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which said it is the 28th officer-involved shooting in the state this year and the first one in Darlington County. There were 45 across the state in 2024.

Mason is the second Darlington County Sheriff’s Office officer killed in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page website. Sheriff Alton Grinnell died in an automobile crash on July 11, 1945.