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Who was Eddie Hassell? 30-year-old 'Surface' star shot dead in carjacking incident in Texas: 'Gone too soon'

Many mourned the death of the talented actor and deemed it as a 'senseless and preventable loss of life due to unchecked gun violence'

Actor Eddie Hassell was killed in an attempted carjacking in Texas early on Sunday, November 1. The 30-year-old actor was known for playing the character of Phil Nance in the NBC show 'Surface' for a number of episodes. 

Born on July 16, 1990, in Corsicana, Texas, Ed Taylor Hassell moved to Los Angeles when he was just 11-year-old to pursue a career in acting. He landed roles in 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip', 'Joan of Arcadia' and 'Southland'. He was also known for his role as Eddie Suarez on the Lifetime drama 'Devious Maids'. He held several small roles throughout the 2000s and 2010s, most notably as Clay in the 2010 film 'The Kids Are All Right', starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. The film earned a best picture nomination at the 2011 Oscars. He also worked beside Ashton Kutcher in the 2013 Steve Jobs biopic 'Jobs', where he played the character of 16-year-old Chris Espinosa, one of Apple’s first employees. 

Along with his Hollywood projects, Hassell also authored 'Someone Should Tell You: Startling Revelations and Truths to Help You Understand and Improve Your Life' in 2009.

Hassell was also said to have been an avid surfer and skateboarder. In a 2013 interview with Elle, he said, "Skateboarding's been a huge part of my life, it also got me cast in commercials. I was into horseback riding and rodeos in Texas and when I moved to LA, I got into skating. I did all my own stunts. I'm into anything with a board: surfing, wakeboarding."

As soon as the news came to light people started reacting to it, as one internet user said, "So do criminals. Guns will never go away, that's part of the reason we fight to retain the right to own them. People are crazy." While another one wrote, "He was such a sweet guy every time we read him and this is really f***ing sad, I’m just totally thrown."

Another person said, "Wtf is going on in this world???? I absolutely hate it!!! #RIPEddieHassell Gone too soon." Another one wrote, "RIP EDDIE HASSELL. HE DIED SO YOUNG BY THE GUN HANDLE. HIS LIFE WAS PRICELESS HOWEVER HE WAS HAGGLED. HIS DEATH WAS GRIMM LIKE GRETEL AND HANSEL. Eddie Hassell, ‘Devious Maids’ Actor, Shot Dead in Texas at 30."

Slamming the Trump administration, one user wrote, "Things are going great in Texas! Thanks Trump!" While another one wrote, "Another senseless and preventable loss of life due to unchecked gun violence, RIP Eddie."