A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Darlington County, S.C., blames Academy Sports + Outdoors, Kristen Porter, and the deceased gunman’s mother for the 2025 shootout that killed Darlington County Sheriff’s Deputy Devin Mason and the suspect, Cameron Dennett. The case centers on how a Glock 27 handgun purchased in a “straw” sale ultimately ended up being used in a fatal ambush on officers serving a warrant.
How the gun ended up with Dennett
Kristen Porter walked into an Academy Sports + Outdoors in March 2025, claiming she was buying the Glock 27 for herself, but the lawsuit alleges she was actually buying it for Dennett, who was federally prohibited from purchasing firearms due to prior felony‑level convictions and fugitive status.
Between mid‑February and March 1, 2025, Porter allegedly bought four handguns and a rifle on Dennett’s behalf, with repeated large‑caliber purchases in a short window, an unusual pattern for a first‑time buyer with no prior gun interest.
Alleged failures by Academy Sports
As a federal firearms licensee (FFL), Academy Sports is legally required to ensure that the buyer named on the form is the actual purchaser and to watch for “straw purchases.” The lawsuit claims the company ignored clear red flags—multiple high‑power guns in rapid succession, Porter’s nervous demeanor, and lack of gun‑ownership history—and failed to ask basic questions about intended use or experience.
Citing a 2024 report by Everytown Law, the complaint says Academy sold more than 250 guns to proxy buyers in the Southeast between 2020 and 2023, and that after a prior $2.5 million settlement over illegal gun sales linked to a Spartanburg serial killer, the company did not fix its alleged training and sales‑screening problems.
The deadly raid and the legal claims
On July 1, 2025, Deputy Devin Mason and two other deputies went to a mobile home in Lamar, S.C., to serve a warrant on Dennett. Porter was detained outside; his mother, Linda Dennett, told officers he was not there, though Dennett was actually hiding in the bathroom with the Glock 27 bought through Porter.
As the deputies approached, Dennett ambushed Mason and another deputy; Lynch returned fire and killed Dennett. The lawsuit argues that Porter and Academy’s actions—supporting a pattern of “straw” sales and knowing Dennett’s criminal history—created a foreseeable risk of a line‑of‑duty death like Mason’s.
What the lawsuit seeks
The complaint seeks a jury trial plus unspecified damages on grounds of negligence, negligent entrustment, and infliction of emotional distress, arguing that Academy’s allegedly lax practices effectively supplied guns to a prohibited person and contributed directly to Mason’s death.
Porter faces separate federal charges for lying on firearm‑purchase forms and is scheduled to attend a pre‑trial conference in April; Linda Dennett died in late 2025, but remains a named defendant in the civil suit.
