Records obtained by the media have shown that Cameron Burrell – who was the godson of iconic sprinter Carl Lewis – died by suicide after a medical examiner inspected his body this week and listed the cause of death.
The 26-year-old passed away due to a gunshot wound to the head after shooting himself in a parking garage in Houston, Texas on Monday, TMZ Sports confirmed.
Reacting to the news, Burrell’s father Leroy said: “We are going through profound sorrow and ask that all of our friends, extended University of Houston family and the track and field community in the U.S. and abroad allow us to gather with our closest family and friends.”
“We are profoundly grief-stricken, and thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support. We will forward more information when it is available.”
We are deeply saddened to hear the sudden death of one of our very own. We would like to send our condolences to Leroy , Michelle and the entire Burrell family . Please pray for the family and friends of Cameron Burrell during this time ?? . #CLStars ? pic.twitter.com/wL4L5cdu7h
— CLStarsTrackClub (@OfficialCLStars) August 10, 2021
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his godfather, who won an astounding nine Olympic gold medals, and Leroy, a former 100m record holder and gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 4x100m relay, Burrell was regarded as one of the best sprinters in the modern age.
He won the 2018 100-meter championship while at the University of Houston, where he became the fastest college athlete in the United States.
Additionally, he also anchored their 4x100m relay team, and was confirmed as a three-time NCAA All-American across multiple events.
His last Instagram post 11 weeks ago contained a “Pain. Purpose. Passion” caption to describe a dramatic trio of black and white photos of him in action, and the comments section has since been flooded with tributes.
