Baltimore and the comedy world are mourning the loss of Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, a homegrown comedian and actor whose career spanned sitcoms, standup and national tours, after he was fatally shot in Mississippi last week.
Carroll, 52, died Aug. 20 in Southaven, Mississippi, police said. Officers responded to a shooting in the Burton Lane area and tried to render aid, but Carroll died from his injuries, according to Southaven Police Department spokesperson Eric Ainsworth.
Police arrested Tranell Marquise Williams, 38, on Aug. 21 and charged him with murder, Ainsworth said. Online inmate records show Williams is being held without bond at the DeSoto County Adult Detention Facility.
Carroll was a native Baltimorean, actor and comedian known for his appearances in the sitcom “The Parkers,” alongside fellow Marylander and comic Mo’Nique, “Showtime at the Apollo,” “Rent and Go” and “Knockout Kings of Comedy.”
“This is why I say treat people the best you can, because you never know if you’ll get a chance to see them again,” Mo’Nique said on social media. “The last time me and my brother Reggie Carroll was together, that’s what it was: an amazing time. Being on tour together, being on the road together, what a time.”
Mo’Nique said she has no sad tears due to the great times she and Carroll shared.
Carroll’s Instagram account shows him promoting Katt Williams’ “Heaven on Earth” comedy tour this year.
Carroll is not listed as being a part of the lineup online, and there were no show dates listed from June to August. A representative for Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Local officials did not share details on what Carroll was doing in Mississippi or his connection to the alleged gunman. Family members declined to be interviewed.
Even with few details, the comedy world in Baltimore and beyond agreed that Carroll’s death was an awful loss. Comic Loni Love took to Facebook to offer condolences.
“He was a hilarious, energetic and kind soul,” Love said in her post.
For Baltimore musician Rufus Roundtree of Da B’more Brass Factory, the news was “shocking.”
“Reggie was one of those people that made it and one of those people you could be proud of representing the city,” Roundtree told The Banner. “Just knowing somebody that made it out, that was doing it and still representing, for his life to be cut short, it’s shocking, it’s just very sad. It’s disturbing.”
Mobtown Comedy, a local comic hub, described Carroll as “one of our city’s great talents.”
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