Two childhood friends, Dustin “DJ” Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, were found shot to death in a vacant lot near DeLand, Florida, after relatives spent hours trying to reach them.

Rose was a Private First Class in the South Carolina Army National Guard and a student at The Citadel. His family said he dreamed of building a life in military service. Campbell had returned to his Volusia County hometown to grieve after his family’s beloved 8-year-old dog, Hinata, died. Rose traveled from South Carolina to help his friend spread the dog’s ashes.

DeLand Police Department reported officers were called shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday to an industrial area near the 400 block of West New York Avenue where both men were discovered in a vacant lot, shot multiple times. Authorities have opened a double-homicide investigation with no suspect identified or motive explained. A surveillance image showed the friends walking together on Tuesday evening, described by police as their last known sighting.

Police Chief Jason Umberger stated detectives are working rapidly to identify those responsible and urged the public to stay alert while the killer remains unidentified. Tips can be submitted through the Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 386-626-7400 or via Crime Watch. Campbell had been living with his aunt, Karen Chobin, in Chicago since December but returned to DeLand to grieve and stay with Rose’s grandparents. Chobin described the dog’s death as traumatic, not a peaceful passing, and said Rose came home to stand by Campbell during their final moments.

Campbell was scheduled to return to Chicago that weekend while Rose was due back at school Tuesday. Instead, two families are now preparing funerals. Chobin recalled Campbell as an unusually compassionate young man who saw the world differently and cared deeply for others, describing Rose as a friend who knew exactly how to support someone in grief: “These were very, very good boys.”

The South Carolina National Guard expressed deep sadness over PFC Rose’s death and extended condolences to his family, friends, and fellow service members. No explanation has been provided for why two young men on such a personal mission were shot repeatedly and left in a vacant lot. The unanswered question now hangs over DeLand as detectives search for those who stole two promising lives and shattered two families.

Dustin Rose wanted to serve his country. Samson Campbell came home to honor a dog he loved.