Boyz II Men's Wanyá Morris and Shawn Stockman Recall Shocking Death of Their Tour Manager, Khalil Rountree, in 1992 Shooting

Angela AndaloroThu, April 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

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Boyz II Men pose with tour manager Khalil RountreeCredit: Raymond Boyd/Getty -

Boyz II Men were still early in their careers when they began touring, joining MC Hammer on his 2 Legit 2 Quit Tour in 1992

It was during the Chicago stop on that tour that tragedy struck when the group's tour manager, Khalil Roundtree, was shot and killed

Shawn Stockman, Wanyá Morris and assistant tour manager Qadree El-Amin look back on that night and what it meant for the group

Boyz II Men were enjoying their success as a young group when tragedy put things in perspective.

During the band's early touring days, they experienced the tragic loss of a member of their team. Members Shawn Stockman and Wanyá Morris look back at the eventful tour date in ID's documentary, Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event.

"There was a push for us to get on tour, so we were the opening act for MC Hammer. Of course, we don't know what it entails. We're just like, 'We're going on tour with MC Hammer, wow.' When it came time to actually go on tour, Mike Bivens put personnel together and introduced us to Khalil during a rehearsal. You know, big, burly guy," Morris recalled.

"He used to wear these big gold rings with diamonds on hit, his big chain. Khalil Rountree was our tour manager, making sure that travel was taken care of, hotels, making sure we eat. The road manager takes care of all of that. So he was that and then some. He was also our security," Stockman shared.

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Boyz II Men in 1991Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Morris recalled Rountree enlisting a friend to help manage the group on the tour, Qadree El-Amin. The two were friends since elementary school, with El-Amin remembering Rountree as "a gentle giant" and "loyal."

"He knew what it all entailed and he wanted us to be safe, and he protected us, hook or crook. He would do it all, no matter what. If we had to run, he had to run. If we had to crawl, we had to crawl, but he was right there with us, showing us how," Morris said.

In May 1992, the group was at the Chicago stop on the 2 Legit 2 Quit tour when everything changed for them. Morris recalled, "I was actually in my girlfriend's room at the Doubletree. She was one of the MC Hammer dancers. We're kicking it, having fun, and I heard like a loud door shut. Shawn's girlfriend comes in the room and she says, 'Khalil's dead!' "

Morris Day and Khalil Rountree in 1988Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty

Stockman recalls hearing the news from Morris, who called him and told him, "Something happened to Khalil."

"There was a lot of press and a lot of news about this, but people don't know what we went through or how we went through things," Morris said.

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The bandmates went up to Rountree's room to find a police presence and investigators trying to determine what happened in the lead up to the shooting. They determined that someone was going door to door, looking for MC Hammer's room to party. As Stockman explained, "Khalil would leave his hotel door open just to kind of keep an ear on everything."

When they discovered his door ajar, Morris says they "kind of pushed their way in."

"They saw him counting the tour money, so the one guy barges in," Morris said, explaining that Rountree then contacted El-Amin, worried these men would continue to knock on doors and gain access to the artists' rooms.

Rountree and El-Amin just wanted to get the men out of the hallway, so they got them into the elevator, unaware that one of them had a gun. Both Rountree and El-Amin were shot, but Rountree was shot in the head. The shooter, Christopher Babbington, was arrested at his home later that day.

Boyz II Men in 1992Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty

"I was in a state of shock," El-Amin remembers. "I said, 'My friend, he's in the elevator. He's dead,' I couldn't stop saying it. Then, I fainted."

For the young members of Boyz II Men, it was a shock experiencing a loss that close to home. Christopher Babbington was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, and was sentenced to two 14-year prison terms.

"In reality, they were looking for us, and Khalil knew that," Stockman said. "Because that happened to us. We had people sneak into our dressing room and stuff like that, so he really was our protector."

Morris agreed, adding, "He was our shield to a lot of the mess that now we were exposed to. So now, we have to grow up. We have to become boys to men."

Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event premieres Monday, April 20 at 9pm ET/PT on ID, with both titles available to stream on HBO Max.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”