by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

GULFPORT (GG) — On Thursday, August 20, 2026, Cameron Brand of Pass Christian, Mississippi, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 40 years for the April 30, 2023 mass shooting at an after-prom party in Bay St. Louis that killed two Hancock High School students and injured four others. Brand previously pleaded guilty to two counts of First-Degree Murder and four counts of Aggravated Assault for the shooting that claimed the lives of Haeleigh Stamper, age 16, and De’Arreis “DD” Smith, age 17, and wounded four other young people.

Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt imposed two consecutive life sentences and 40 years on the aggravated assault counts, with two of those sentences running concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years. 

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard emotional victim-impact statements describing the lasting devastation caused by Brand’s actions. Haeleigh Stamper’s mother spoke about everything her daughter’s murder stole from Haeleigh and her family—the milestones she will never experience and the future that was taken from her. De’Arreis “DD” Smith’s grandmother spoke about her grandson and the permanent loss his death has left in their family. 

Survivors of the shooting also addressed the court about the physical injuries and lasting impact they continue to endure. 

Before sentencing Brand, Judge Schmidt stated “the sentences imposed today are not ones of vengeance, but acts of justice under the law. Truly, on that night, you were a force multiplier of evil that will never change and no one will ever understand the depths of hate that you chose to  display with your intentional acts.” 

“This was not one act of violence against one person. This defendant fired approximately 17 rounds into a gathering of young people and, in a matter of seconds, devastated family after family,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker. “Haeleigh Stamper and DD Smith lost every tomorrow they should have had. Their families lost graduations, careers, weddings, children and grandchildren, and a lifetime of memories that should have been theirs. Four other young people were shot and must carry the physical and emotional consequences of that night for the rest of their lives.” 

Parker continued, “Today, their families and the survivors stood in that courtroom and made sure the Court understood exactly what this defendant took from them. We asked for a punishment that reflects every life taken and every victim wounded. The Court’s sentence ensures that Cameron Brand will spend the rest of his life in prison. Nothing that happened in court today can give these families back what was stolen from them, but there is justice in knowing that the person responsible will never again have the opportunity to inflict this kind of devastation on another family.” 

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Parker and Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Necaise.