In the early hours of a summer morning in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a dispute that began inside a local bar tragically escalated, ending the life of 28-year-old Carlos Michael Rogers. On June 11, 2017, the young Black / African American man was fatally shot outside Born's Bar on Rice Street, a conclusion to a conflict that turned deadly. The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m.
after Rogers was involved in a disagreement with a bouncer and was escorted out of the establishment.
Outside the bar, a new confrontation ignited. Rogers and his companion encountered another group, which included Charles Eugene Frye and Justin Darrell Reynolds. An initial argument led to a physical fight between the women of the two groups. Rogers intervened to break up the fight, at which point Frye allegedly swung at him. In the ensuing struggle, Frye was knocked to the ground and reportedly yelled to his associate. Reynolds then produced a handgun and shot Rogers in the head from several feet away. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle immediately after the shooting. When police arrived, they found Rogers on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led police to identify Frye and Reynolds as the primary suspects. A woman who was with Rogers at the time of the shooting identified both men in a photo lineup. Surveillance video from the bar also captured the incident, corroborating witness accounts. It was suggested that there may have been pre-existing animosity between Rogers and the two men, possibly connected to a previous killing in 2011. An anonymous tip about a partial license plate number helped authorities locate the vehicle, which was traced to Frye's girlfriend.
Both Charles Eugene Frye, then 37, and Justin Darrell Reynolds, then 29, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Both men had prior criminal records. In April 2018, Justin Darrell Reynolds was convicted of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and was sentenced to 32 years in prison for his role in the death of Carlos Rogers.
