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Damien Montrell Cameron

Age : 29

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 07/26/2021

Location : 147 Clara Foote Road

City : Braxton

County : Rankin

State : Mississippi

Agency : Rankin County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Asphyxiation

Event : Killed by police during alleged burglary

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 07/26/2021, Rankin County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of burglary and vandalism at a residence on Clara Foote Road near Braxton. Deputies encountered 29-year-old Damien Montrell Cameron after he emerged from a wooded area and arrested him following a foot pursuit. According to the sheriff's office, Cameron resisted arrest before being handcuffed and placed in the rear of a patrol vehicle.
Deputies later reported finding Cameron unresponsive while he remained handcuffed inside the patrol vehicle. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation into the death.
In the months and years that followed, Cameron's family publicly challenged the sheriff's account of the arrest. His mother released photographs showing extensive injuries to his face and head while he was hospitalized, alleging deputies severely beat him before placing him in the patrol vehicle. The family has repeatedly questioned how long Cameron remained handcuffed inside the cruiser before deputies discovered he was in medical distress and has criticized the sheriff's office for failing to release body-camera footage or provide a detailed public accounting of the arrest.
An independent forensic pathologist retained by Cameron's family concluded that he died from injuries sustained during the arrest and described his death as a homicide. The family has maintained that deputies used excessive force and have called for criminal charges and federal intervention. As of the latest public reporting, neither the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation nor local prosecutors have publicly released investigative findings explaining the death or announced criminal charges against any deputy.
After Cameron's death, the Rankin County Sheriff's Office became the subject of national scrutiny following the exposure of the department's self-described "Goon Squad," whose members were later convicted in federal court for a pattern of violent assaults, torture, and civil rights violations against Black residents. Cameron's family has urged federal authorities to examine whether his death was connected to the same pattern of misconduct. Publicly available records do not indicate that the U.S. Department of Justice has publicly announced a separate federal investigation into Cameron's death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wapt.com/article/man-dies-in-custody-of-rankin-deputies-mbi-investigating/37148627
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/rankin-county-deputies-beat-knelt-on-mans-neck-before-he-died-family-alleges/
https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/family-of-damien-cameron-demand-transparency-nearly-two-years-after-death-in-police-custody/
https://www.jacksonadvocateonline.com/the-evidence-is-in-his-face-says-mother-of-man-who-died-in-sheriffs-custody/
https://www.themississippimonitor.com/he-died-from-injuries-sustained-during-his-2021-arrest-family-wants-rankin-county-deputies-held-accountable/