Authorities have arrested a teenager in connection with the fatal shooting of a Citadel cadet and his childhood friend in Florida. The DeLand Police Department announced the arrest of a 17-year-old suspect on two counts of second-degree murder.
The US Marshals Service took the suspect into custody. Dustin Rose, 19, a cadet at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, and Samson Campbell, 18, were discovered deceased on July 29.
Surveillance footage showed Rose and Campbell walking on a sidewalk in downtown DeLand around 6 p.m. on July 28. They were found dead the following day in a vacant lot.
During a news conference, law enforcement officials stated that the arrested teen and the victims knew each other. The suspect reportedly has a significant criminal history. Police had previously described the suspect as "armed and dangerous."
Rose, who was home on break from The Citadel, had recently joined the South Carolina Army National Guard. He had reportedly harbored a lifelong ambition to serve in the military.
Under Florida law, a prosecutor can seek to try a minor as an adult depending on the severity of the offense. It was not immediately clear if the state attorney's office would pursue adult charges against the 17-year-old suspect in this case.