By the time he turned six years old, Cameron “Cam” Scott-Bey would dump a heap of drawings in various stages of completion all over his bedroom floor in Mount Airy. He then scanned his collection, using a discerning eye to add a bit more motion to Michael Jackson’s spin or outline the exact outfit that his aunt wore for an impromptu portrait on the couch.
After applying the finishing touches, Cameron taped the creations to his wall. Then he rushed off to find more paper, crayons and markers.
As he grew older, Cameron participated in community arts camps and a youth program run by Mural Arts Philadelphia. He helped paint a landscape at Anna L. Lingebach Elementary School in his neighborhood and envisioned becoming a cartoonist or an illustrator for his favorite Super Mario Bros. or Sonic games.
Eventually, he moved on to music. It wasn’t a far stretch, since Cameron had grown up banging on his kiddie drums next to his grandfather, Thomas Scott, a talented percussionist who gave porch concerts. Cameron enjoyed rapping with his friends about money, sports, clothes — even cheesesteaks.
Ask him what he wanted for his birthday and he would respond without a trace of sarcasm: Two cheesesteaks and Chinese buffet.
Cameron Scott-Bey and his niece
“He only liked specific foods and was serious about it,” remembered his mom, Pamela Scott.
Tall and slender, Cameron could often be found attached to Pamela’s side as soon as she got home from her job at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Cameron, give her a second,” his older sister, Angel, would tease.
“Wherever I was, that’s where he wanted to be,” Pamela recalled. “He said he was going to live with me forever with his wife and children.”
On April 30, 2021, Cameron was waiting for a friend outside his grandmother’s house in West Oak Lane when he was shot. Cameron was transported to Einstein Medical Center, where he died that evening. He was 19 years old.
No suspects have been arrested.
Born in Mount Airy on Dec. 12, 2001, Cameron was the youngest of three children but he somehow missed the horrible teenager phase. Even when he talked back, he immediately apologized.
He did enjoy embellishing stories, Angel recalled. In the retelling, a chance run-in with an old friend became a chance run-in with someone famous.
More often, Cameron was full of compliments, texting his mom and sister that they were “the best in the world.” He was the spitting image of his father, William Bey, and shared a sensitive side with his older brother, Christopher.
Cameron was “shy, but if you listened to him, then he felt like he could open up to you,” Pamela said. “He was the type of kid who would give you a kiss in public.”
Cameron didn’t even mind being called a “momma’s boy” — unless the ladies were around.
Cameron Scott-Bey
He excelled at basketball, but his typical uniform was a hoodie and sweatpants. When Pamela forced him to wear a suit for his cousin’s wedding, Cameron beamed at his reflection.
After graduating from Roxborough High School (both his prom and graduation ceremonies were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Cameron welcomed the birth of his niece, Rayne. Zelyna is his other niece. While his sister was pregnant, Cameron sent her frantic reminder texts: “Make sure you sit down if you get tired.” “You OK? I don’t want you to fall.”
After Rayne arrived, Cameron cradled her gingerly, worried that he was gripping too hard or that the baby would slip out of his grasp.
“If you ever felt like there was nobody there for you or nobody who loved you, if you knew him, you knew he did,” Angel remembered.
On the one-year anniversary of her son’s passing, Pamela took his ashes to San Bernardino, California, where Cameron once spent a memorable vacation with his cousins.
There, in the brilliant sunshine, she held his urn but refused to break the seal.
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Cameron Scott-Bey’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. Information can also be submitted to the Philadelphia Police Department online or by calling 215-686-TIPS.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
