Mother of Slain Citadel Cadet Speaks Out After Repeat Criminal Is Arrested for His Murder
A 17-year-old, Keyan Jayden Rundell, was arrested in DeLand, Florida, in connection with a double murder involving two young men, Dustin Rose (19) and Samson Campbell (18), who were found dead on July 29. Rundell faces two counts of second-degree murder and has a criminal history that includes arrests for aggravated battery and assault. Surveillance footage linked him to the crime scene, and clothing and an e-bike believed to be his were recovered. Rose, a cadet at The Citadel Military Collage, was remembered as a beloved member of his family and community. The examination is ongoing, with authorities exploring additional arrests and potential accomplices.
A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with a double murder last week in DeLand, Florida.
The United States Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Keyan Jayden Rundell on Wednesday, officials said, according to WRBW-TV.
Rundell faces two counts of second-degree murder related to the deaths of Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, who were found dead on July 29.
Rundell has a “pretty good criminal history” that includes arrests for aggravated battery and aggravated assault, DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger said.
The motive for the killings is not yet apparent, he said.
Rose and Campbell were last seen on a surveillance camera at about 6 p.m. on the day before they were found dead.
“What we do know is that these young men knew each other in some capacity and met up on Tuesday evening, July 28, at that location,” Umberger said, according to WESH-TV.
Rundell was seen on surveillance video, beginning the chain of events that led to his arrest.
RIP Dustin Rose & Samson Campbell
Both were ambushed, shot, and killed by 17-year-old Keyan Rundell in FL
0 national outrage pic.twitter.com/Ifsb6nzAO3
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 5, 2026
“Our investigators recovered clothing that we believe the suspect was wearing, as well as the e-bike we believe he rode to and from the crime scene on the night of the murders,” Umberger said.
Rose attended The Citadel Military College in South Carolina and was in DeLand on a break at the time of the shootings.
Rachel Rose, Dustin’s mother, said he was “such a light in our family,” according to Fox News.
“When they took him they took the very best part of me. We are devastated,” she said.
Citadel President Gen. Frank McKenzie called Rose a “team leader and was a valued friend and classmate.”
Rose had been a member of the South Carolina National Guard.
Umberger said they do not know how the suspect made it to the hotel in which he was arrested near Manatee County.
“I want to stress that additional arrests may be made in this case,” Umberger said. “Investigators are focusing on any individuals who may have planned, aided or otherwise assisted in perpetrating the crime or concealing or destroying evidence of the crime, or anyone who may have assisted him fleeing or who may have been harboring him.”
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