NEW ORLEANS — Comedian Brandon Montrell was better known as ‘Boogie B.’ He made fans laugh across the country with his TikTok videos and lessons in ‘hood history.’
Montrell was from New Orleans but lived in California to live out his dreams as a comedian.
His mother, Sherilyn Price, spoke about what her son stood for.
“He saw the humorous side of life, he believed in being positive and he’s had bad things happen to him. He lost his father, he lost his brother,” Price said.
He came home for Christmas but was shot and killed by what appears to have been a stray bullet while in a Rouses parking lot. The shooting happened December 23 in the 700 block of Baronne St. in New Orleans shortly after 4 p.m. Montrell, 43, was identified as the victim by the coroner.
“Brandon didn’t have enemies anywhere. To my knowledge, Brandon has never been in a fight,” Price said.
Jan. 5, NOPD announced the arrest of Jabril Cowart, 20, who was located in Houston and arrested on a second degree murder charge. He still remains in a jail outside of Houston and will be extradited to Louisiana. NOPD also arrested Dyamonique Smith for Accessory After the Fact.
Price said she learned of the arrests from news articles, adding that she had spoken with an NOPD detective twice over the phone after reaching out.
“NOPD never instigated contact with me to tell me A: ‘Your son has been killed’ or B: ‘This is what we’re doing,” Price said.
In response to that claim, a NOPD spokesperson said in a statement, “The NOPD Homicide Section has been in communication with the victim’s mother.”
Hoping to better understand where the investigation stands, Price reached he reached out to the District Attorney’s office this week.
“They legitimately did not know the status of the case. I’m baffled by that,” Price said.
District Attorney Jason Williams released the following statement Wednesday:
“An arrest warrant was recently issued by NOPD and that suspect was arrested in the past 24 hours on this homicide charge. Since being notified late last night of this arrest in Texas, the DA’s office has been working this morning on a Governor’s warrant to have the homicide defendant extradited from Texas to Louisiana.
This is still a fluid, active and open investigation and we have not yet received the referral and case file from NOPD. As such it would not be prudent for the DA’s office to comment on the weight of the evidence in this case.
Our new chief & the detective’s assigned to this case have been feverishly investigating this horrendous crime. I appreciate their hard work and the DA’s office looks forward receiving this referral.
As per protocol, as soon as we receive the complete file I plan to sit and speak with the mother and family of Brandon “Boogie B” Montrell.”
Price, however, remains uncertain about the direction of her son's case.
“I’m not comfortable in what I know, okay? I don’t feel like I’m standing on solid ground,” Price said.
As Price hopes for justice for her son, she hopes for solutions so other mother’s won’t feel her pain of losing a son.
“It’s bad enough that this situation exists at all, that the city has been so inadequate at bringing this gun violence to a halt,” Price said.