Friends, family remember Baltimore boxer 'Showtime' at vigil
A reward has been offered for information on the murder of a Maryland boxer, Joshua Tingler, who was shot and killed Wednesday night in southwest Baltimore.
His family and friends converged Friday to remember the 38-year-old boxer, who was also known as "Showtime," during a vigil at Gay Oaks Park in Arbutus.
"Josh was a great guy, entertaining, full of energy. (He) brightened up a room every time he walked in it. Man, he was the guy," boxing promoter and trainer Jake Smith said.
Those who knew Tingler said he was someone who believed in the philosophy "guns down, gloves up."
But around 9 p.m. Wednesday, he became a victim of gun violence. According to Baltimore City police, officers were called to Grinnalds Avenue near Washington Boulevard for a report of a shooting.
Officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head who died at the scene. Police said a 42-year-old man was also shot at the same location and suffered from non-life-threatening injuries.
Metro Crime Stoppers is offering an $8,000 reward for information in the killing of Tingler.
Smith said this is a tremendous loss.
"He was changing lives because of the stuff that he did and how he improved himself, how he took care of things," Smith said.
He said Tingler made significant changes in his own life.
"He had a tough life. He had a period where he went through some addiction problems, then he handled them. He fixed it. He's clean, I'd say, for about six or seven years," Smith said.
Boxing helped him with that.
"He could fight. He was one heck of an exciting fighter. You knew when you had him on a card you knew you were going to have excitement. The way he threw his combinations and moved around the ring. His charisma in there. His knowledge, he was good," Smith said.
He had a unique way of preparing himself just before stepping into the ring.
"He's walking around the arena and talking and I'm like, 'Please sit down and relax for a minute. You're getting ready to get in the ring.' I said, 'See that guy? He's a big dude.' (He would say,) 'I don't care, I'm alright, that's the way I do my thing,' That's how he relaxed, that's how he relaxed, going around socializing with everybody in the arena," Smith said.
The vigil will was held at 7 p.m. Friday at Gay Oaks Park on Sulphur Spring Road in Arbutus.