MS Coast man accused in mass shooting that killed teens indicted on murder, other charges
READ MORE
Bay St. Louis after-prom mass shooting
Read the Biloxi Sun Herald’s prior coverage here
Expand All
A grand jury has indicted a Pass Christian man on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for his alleged role in a mass shooting that killed two Mississippi high school students and injured four others.
The Hancock County grand jury handed down the six-count indictment against Cameron Everest Brand, now 20, on March 20.
In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Brand is indicted on four counts of aggravated assault for shooting and injuring four other students, all between the ages of 15 and 18.
The mass shooting occurred on April 30, 2023, during an after-prom house party at a home in the 100 block of Old Meadow Road. The shooting happened just after midnight.
Brand has remained jailed in Hancock County since his arrest in the mass shooting that resulted in the deaths of De’Arreis “DD” Smith, 18, of Pearlington, and Haeleigh Stamper, 16, and a resident of Diamondhead.
If convicted of the crimes, Brand is facing a sentence of up to life in prison for each count of first-degree murder and up to 20 years in prison for each count of aggravated assault.
Witnesses recount terror
In the aftermath of the shooting, a teenager and her mother, who hosted the party where the shooting happened, recounted for the Sun Herald what happened. They did not want their names used because of the attention it would attract.
“We were having a good time,” the 18-year-old said, “until he started shooting. He just started shooting and left without remorse. ... The way he just got in his car and left and went home. He shot six innocent people.”
According to the mother and daughter, a crowd of 60-70 gathered there for the party.
Neither heard any yelling or signs of an argument before the shooting.
After the shooting, the mother’s car had six bullet holes in it, and blood stained the gravel driveway and grass at the home.
Since the shooting, family and friends remembered Smith as a beloved senior at Hancock High School who loved music and looked forward to joining the military just weeks after graduating from high school.
Stamper was a junior at Hancock High and died, despite the best efforts of friends to revive her before one student picked her up and carried her to a car, where the student and others sped to the nearest hospital to try to save her and others injured in the attack.
Stamper and Smith died of their injuries at University Medical Center in New Orleans shortly after the shooting.
A history of run-ins with authorities
Before the mass shooting, Brand already had a history of run-ins with law enforcement related to guns, drugs and domestic violence.
He had been in and out of jail since May 2022, when Waveland police arrested him on the first of two misdemeanor charges of domestic violence by simple assault.
After the first arrest for domestic violence in May 2022, Waveland Police went on to arrest Brand on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana and contempt of court for violating a domestic violence protection order, according to police reports and court filings the Sun Herald obtained through public records requests.
A judge held a hearing for a status update in his sentence for the second domestic violence offense against Brand just 11 days before the mass shooting.
Under federal law, anyone convicted of charges of misdemeanor or felony domestic violence is not allowed to buy or possess a firearm. But in Mississippi, officials routinely shy away from taking away guns from domestic violence offenders even after a conviction. That was the case for Brand.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
