The family of a Columbus County man killed in the line of duty in South Carolina has a mortgage free home.
Devin Mason was a deputy with the Florence County sheriff’s Office when he was killed during a shootout with a felony suspect on July 1, 2025. He left behind his fiance’ Madison Church and their infant son, Brooks James Mason, along with his mother Shannon and stepfather John, sisters Brandie, Amber and Crystal, and many other loving family members and friends.
The Tunnels to Towers Foundation presented Church and Brooks James with a mortgage-free home July 2.
Mason was 27 and had been a deputy for seven months when he and another deputy responded to a 911 call about a wanted felon. The suspect’s mother denied that he was inside the home, but the suspect attempted to ambush them from a bathroom. The suspect was shot and killed. Mason’s partner was also wounded.
A football standout and tennis player at West Columbus High, Mason was born in Whiteville. He previously worked as a service technician in North and South Carolina for Black’s Tire, but always wanted to be a law enforcement officer.
He graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in March 2025, after joining the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office in November of 2024. Mason was eulogized at WCHS, and buried at Williamson’s Crossroads Baptist Church.
“Nothing can replace the loss of a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others,” said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “We are honored to provide Madison and her son with a mortgage-free home that will be a lasting tribute to Devin’s life, service, and sacrifice.
“Mason wanted to make a change in the community,” Siller said in a press release. “He wanted to set a good example for the children and protect and serve the people. This was his nature. He made you feel safe in this scary world and was an amazing, genuine, kind-hearted man. He was a man of faith who was dedicated to his family and his career.”
Mason met Church through a mutual friend. Tunnels to Towers said Church “loved the way he didn’t need constant recognition for doing good.
“He was a hard worker who proved to be the calm in her storm. He always gave 110 percent in everything he did.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage on the Mason family home through the Fallen First Responder Home Program.
The foundation was started after Siller’s brother, a firefighter, died responding to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Originally created to help the families of first responders, T2T expanded to serve veterans and their families during the Global War on Terror.
