EMS pronounced Cameron Underwood, a First Year College freshman from a town near Asheville, deceased at 8:14 a.m. Sunday in Bragaw Residence Hall.
Capt. Jon Barnwell of Campus Police said Underwood’s cousin had stayed the night with him and called Campus Police at 7:30 a.m. when he found him unconscious.
“EMS attempted to revive him for a certain amount of time,” Barnwell said.
Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, said he has been in contact with some of the family members and found out that Underwood had been battling a brain tumor and had surgery to remove it in 2005.
According to Stafford, Underwood’s cousin — who is a Shaw University student — was taking care of Underwood because “apparently, he had been drinking quite a bit from what I’ve been told.”
Stafford said it is still unclear as to the cause of Underwood’s death.
According to Barnwell, the death seems to be from natural causes and no foul play was involved, but Campus Police is still waiting on the autopsy report, which will not be available until late next week.
Barnwell said Campus Police’s main concern is that all people involved, including RAs, receive proper counseling.
“Any person who dies at a young age has an effect on the community,” Barnwell said.
Stafford agreed.
“We’re going to need to make sure his roommate and students in his suite receive any support they need because it’s going to be a shock when they come back from the weekend,” he said.
Friends of Underwood’s created a Facebook group called “I love Cameron Underwood” in his memory today.
Nick Lanahan, a freshman in general engineering, said he knew Underwood since third grade.
“We played football in middle school and high school together,” he said.
Underwood, who was quarterback at T.C. Roberson High School, had surgery to remove a brain tumor before his senior year, according to Lanahan.
“It was pretty soon before Christmas break before our senior year of high school,” Lanahan said. “He told me he was having headaches.”
According to Lanahan, soon after, their football coach announced what had happened with Underwood.
LJ Pittman, a sophomore in aerospace engineering, said he went to high school with Underwood but became better friends with him in college. He said he hadn’t known about Underwood’s medical problems.
“He was a nice guy,” Pittman said. “He was never mean to anybody.”
Lanahan agreed.
“He was always having a good time,” he said. “I’ve never seen him really mad or anything.”
According to Lanahan, Underwood was funny, fun to hang around with, a good athlete and smart.
The funeral will take place Sept. 8 in Asheville, Lanahan said.