Hey, my name is Robyn Collins. My 16 year old, black son, Camron Collins, passed away this morning after an unsuccessful upper spine surgery. He suffered from this injury about two years ago during a football accident. He waited patiently over the past two years to get back on the field to his fullest potential. One month ago he was informed that he could get back on the field, doing what he loved, junior year. I’ve never seen that boy happier. He had been almost fully recovered and he felt on top of the world. 

    In meeting a new friend, Maleik Johns, he grew a new perspective on life. Maleik helped him grow more aware of his surroundings, his actions, the way he treated others, and so much more that Cam and I could never thank him enough for. Cam and Maleik grew very close to each other as they both became a very big support to one another. 

    One day, he went a drive from his girlfriend, Keilie’s home, to Maleik’s home. This took place at around 3am on July 9th. He felt the need to be with Maleik at the time since they were each other’s sanity and as Cam told me, “he needed some sense snapped into him.”  On this drive he drove past an old white woman who seemed to be limping walking towards the Missouri  River Bridge. Cam, being the kindhearted boy he is, pulls over to ask her if she needed a ride to wherever she was headed. She accepts his offer and steps into the car with full consent. Shortly after, he heard sirens and immediately pulled over. 

    His first instinct was to hand the old woman his phone, ask her to record, and put his hands up on the dashboard immediately. Soon after, a white cop walks up to the window already holding a firearm, with absolutely nothing threatening him. They immediately ask the woman, “Do you know this man?” She follows up saying “No,” while they proceed to ask why she got in the car with him. She says “I don’t know.” Cam, freaking out - as any 16 year old would in his position - began asking her why she wasn’t recording and why she was acting as if she was being kidnapped. He then realized she could have some sort of mental issue (she did not) and calmed down very quickly. Another white cop comes up to the car, immediately pulls open the door and begins dragging Cam out of his car. Him not resisting but being very frightened, pulls away a little, getting verbally aggressive. This is what claimed to get the other cop holding the gun involved as he pulls it up closer to him, scaring Cam into allowing the white cop to wrongfully detain him.

    They then began to force him to the floor, already having him in handcuffs, pushing his face against the concrete leaving him bruised and scarred, one pressing their knee into his upper spine exactly where the previous injury had taken place. Cam told me that he was laying there in silence, praying to survive to see the days he lives better. And he did.

    He walked out of there in extreme, agonizing pain, but alive. His only worries for the rest of the night were everyone around him. He spent no time focusing on himself or his injuries but instead, he was worried about me, one of his best friends Kamar, Keilie, and Maleik. 

    Cam spent the next week living to his full potential. With the support of Maleik and many others, he brought himself to do better in so many aspects. I felt like he was genuinely growing happier.

    In attempt to conceal his pain for the sake of the upcoming football season, he took Advil daily and pushed through the pain despite how much hurt he dealt with and how many times I asked that boy to go to the hospital. He pushed through it until about a week and a half ago, on a trip up a fight of stairs, his back gave out, causing him to fall down the steps. That is what caused me to believe it was more than just temporary pain, so I brought him to the hospital the next morning. 

    In attending the hospital, he was told that his injury was resurfaced and that he had to choose between two very difficult options. 

- Bare through the pain for the next 5 years of his life, participating in little to no physical activity and give up his entire football career. Or in his words, “become fragile, weak, and beat” 

Or

- Attempt a surgery to reattach his nerves, ease the pain, with only about a 25% chance of functional survival and a 50% chance of paralyzing him. 

    He told me, “Momma, I love you, I love my life, but i rather be dead then spend the rest of my life not living it how I want to.” So I trusted his word, we went with the surgery. 

    He left me his will, notes to send people if anything happened, numbers of his favorite people to text if something happened, and a long letter to remind me to trust in God and stay sane without him around. My baby boy knew he was going to die. And because he spend his last month living to his fullest, he was so unbelievably accepting of it. 

    He’s a bright boy. He is the light to my life. The light to so many lives. This boy has been through so much and has held himself, me, his older brother Christopher, his younger sister Mya, and even his father who was absent almost his whole life, together so well. Camron is so loved. He has blessed so many people with so much. 

    I am currently unable to give officer names, badge numbers, even the county police station name. As soon as I’ve been given legal permission, I will publicize everything in order to get justice for my boy. Right now, I would appreciate any form of support in getting his story known and providing him the justice he deserves. Thank you all. God bless.