In a tragic turn of events stemming from a drug deal gone wrong, 19-year-old Cameron Smith was shot and killed in Powell, Tennessee, on October 10, 2017. Smith was driving a Chrysler Sebring with his friend, Luke Halliburton, on West Emory Road when they were pursued and fired upon by individuals in a black Mustang. Smith sustained fatal injuries in the shooting, while Halliburton was wounded but survived.
The incident was not a random act of violence but the culmination of a dispute that began days earlier.
The conflict originated on October 6, 2017, when Luke Halliburton used counterfeit money to purchase a small amount of marijuana from 21-year-old Jorge Ortiz Gonzalez. Cameron Smith was not present during this transaction. Upon discovering the deception, Gonzalez, along with 19-year-old Cameron Brewer and 16-year-old Justin Gonzalez, sought retaliation. On the day of the shooting, they lured Halliburton and Smith to Ammons Street under the pretense of settling the debt. Sensing danger upon their arrival, Smith and Halliburton attempted to flee, leading to the fatal chase.
The investigation into Cameron Smith's murder led authorities to identify Jorge Ortiz Gonzalez, Cameron Brewer, and Justin Gonzalez as the responsible parties. It was determined that Justin Gonzalez was the gunman who fired the fatal shots from a. 40-caliber pistol. Despite his age, Justin Gonzalez was charged as an adult. All three men were arrested a few weeks after the shooting.
Ultimately, the case did not proceed to a trial. Cameron Brewer, Jorge Ortiz Gonzalez, and Justin Gonzalez all pleaded guilty to their roles in the murder of Cameron Smith and the attempted killing of Luke Halliburton. In August 2018, a Knox County Criminal Court judge sentenced each of them to 25 years in prison, bringing a legal conclusion to a senseless act of violence that cut short a young man's life.
