Months away from graduation, Fort Worth teen dies in likely accidental shooting
Cameryn Burk was months away from his high school graduation when he was fatally shot Sunday night in Fort Worth.
Burk, 18, died after being shot in the abdomen in what police believe was an accidental shooting. He was a senior at Fossil Ridge School and would have graduated in May, Burk’s friend Weston Sutton said.
“Cameron always had a smile on his face,” Sutton said. “He was always smiling; he was very uplifting. You would never hear anything negative coming from his mouth. He was always doing funny things.”
Sutton moved to Fort Worth about five years ago and met Burk at school, where the two instantly clicked. They played basketball together and were on the football team in middle school, Sutton said.
Burk was known as “Lil Cam” to most of his friends, a nickname that came from his small stature — but Burk did not mind the nickname, Sutton said.
“He was good at everything he did,” Sutton said. “He was passionate about school. He had been through a lot. I think everyone has their own story.”
Sutton last saw Burk on Saturday night outside the same gas station where Burk was shot 24 hours later. Sutton was not with Burk on Sunday night, but he happened to drive by the parking lot right after his friend was shot, he said.
Sunday evening, Burk was hanging out with several friends in a large parking lot on Western Center Boulevard. The lot happens to serve both a gas station and Texas Health Emergency Room. For reasons unknown, a gun went off in the car and the shot hit Burk. Fort Worth police said investigators determined the shooting was likely accidental.
Burk died about half an hour later inside the emergency room. According to dispatch reports, the person who accidentally shot Burk took him to the hospital.
As he was driving home from work, Sutton drove past the parking lot and saw the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances — and then noticed they were surrounding his friend’s car.
“I saw Cameryn’s car and it just dawned on me,” Sutton said.
Sutton said he knows the person suspected of shooting Burk, but did not personally hang out with him. He does not know why the group would have had a gun in the car.
“I don’t even know how to go about the outcome of what just happened,” Sutton said. “I just have to move forward with it.”
Burk had some plans of going to trade school and starting in construction after graduation, but Sutton said they mostly joked about “just trying to make it through high school.”
Burk had an older brother and two parents who lived in Fort Worth, Sutton said. As of Monday, no arrests had been made in the shooting, Fort Worth police said.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
