‘A bright light’: Columbus County educator remembers former student killed in the line of duty this week

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - WT Edwards remembers Devin Mason as a freshman enrolled in his math class at West Columbus High School.

“I taught him first when he was a freshman,” Edwards said. “And Devin was always a bright light wherever he was.”

Edwards was also the basketball and tennis coach, and he got to know Mason even better when he decided to join the tennis team in the spring.

“He just wanted to compete,” Edwards said. “And he did it with a smile the entire time.”

Along with playing on the football team, Mason also helped Edwards with basketball practice.

When he graduated in 2017 and entered adult life, Edwards said he knew Mason’s habit of helping others would lead him to a career in service.

“When he joined law enforcement and went that route, I wasn’t surprised at all because he always had a heart for doing things that would benefit other people a lot of times before himself,” Edwards said.

Mason graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy earlier this year and had just completed field training last week. He was just starting his career as a deputy with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office says Mason died after being ambushed Tuesday morning. He was just 27 years old.

Mason and another deputy responded around 1:30 a.m. to a home on Old Timers Court in the Lamar area for a wanted person.

During a “encounter” inside the home, the sheriff’s office said 25-year-old Cameron Dennett ambushed the two, leading to the officer-involved shooting.

The sheriff’s office said that Dennett was wanted on criminal conspiracy, forgery and second-degree computer act charges. He was also not allowed to have a firearm.

Dennett died as a result of that shooting. The other deputy with Mason was shot, but is expected to be okay.

Edwards said he had put his phone down for a few hours that day. When he came back to it, he had four missed calls and several text messages telling him what had happened to his former student.

“It broke my heart just because he had such a full life to live,” Edwards said. “It’s always sad, especially in education when you’re around young people and you can tell that there’s a glow and a light that they’re meant to shine with others, and Devin had that.”

To Edwards, it was a tragic ending to Mason’s life, which he almost viewed as just beginning.

Mason had accomplished a lot of goals. Along with becoming a deputy, Mason had also recently gotten engaged and become a father just two months ago.

“He had sent me a picture of his baby,” Edwards said. “He was so proud. He was so excited to be a dad. I know no doubt that his memory will live on through them and his kid will know what kind of person he was for sure.”

Beyond living on through his family, Edwards says his lasting impact in Columbus County will keep his memory alive.

“If you knew Devin, you loved him, but if you knew Devin, that means that he loved you and that wasn’t hard to feel,” Edwards said. “His legacy is that good people still exist and good people can still make a big impact.”

The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office said that Deputy Mason will lie in honor this Monday at the Darlington County Courthouse from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, he will be laid to rest in his hometown of Fair Bluff.

Per the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office policy, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has been requested to investigate this case.