A medical examiner has ruled that track star Cameron Burrell committed suicide by a gunshot to the head. Burrell was the Godson of legendary track star Carl Lewis.
26-year-old Nike track star and the former University of Houston’s Cameron Burrell committed suicide according to the corner in Houston. The family is extremely devastated and was unaware of any mental anguish or problems that Cameron was having. They also don’t understand why he made the decision to end his life with a gunshot to the head this past Monday.
Cameron’s father, who is also the head coach of the University of Houston’s track and field program, released a statement via the athletic department on Tuesday announcing his death.
Visitation and Celebration of Life services have been set for former University of Houston sprinter and NCAA national champion Cameron Burrell, who passed away Monday.
A memorial visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, inside the A.D. Bruce Religion Center (3841 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX 77004) on the UH campus.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 4 p.m., Monday, at Westbury Church of Christ (10424 Hillcroft St., Houston, TX 77096).
In lieu of flowers, contributions to a scholarship fund for Burrell’s daughter, Amora, may be made by clicking here.
Burrell lettered with the Houston Track and Field program from 2013 to 2018, competing for his father, Head Coach and gold medal sprinter Leroy Burrell.
As a collegiate star, Burrell captured the NCAA individual national championship in the 100-meter in 2018 in Eugene, Ore., equaling his father’s accomplishment 28 years earlier.
That season, he also ran the anchor leg of the Cougars’ 4×100-meter relay team, which successfully defended its NCAA national championship in that event.
Burrell earned All-America First Team honors in the 60-meters three times in his career (2014, 2017-18) during the indoor season and was a three-time First-Team selection (2016-18) in the 100-meters during the outdoor schedule. He also earned All-America honors as the team’s anchor leg in the 4×100-meter relay in 2014 and again in 2018.
Outside of his collegiate career, Burrell was a member of the United States 4×100-meter relay team, which earned gold at the World Junior Championships in 2012 and captured silver at the 2019 World Relays. He also anchored the U.S. relay team to gold at the 2018 Athletics World Cup.
On June 8, 2017, he became the 121st man to break the 10-second barrier over 100 meters with a time of 9.93 seconds. That mark topped his father’s school record – set five years before Cameron’s birth – by .01 of a second. He repeated that feat at the 2018 USA Championships.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
