Yaqub Salik Talib, brother of former NFL star Aqib Talib, indicted on murder charge in youth football coach shooting
By Rebekah Riess, CNN
Yaqub Salik Talib, the brother of former NFL star Aqib Talib, was indicted for murder by a Dallas County grand jury Thursday in the shooting death of 43-year-old coach during a youth football game outside Dallas, court records show.
Yaqub Talib, 39, pulled out a gun after the coaches for both teams had a disagreement over officiating during the game in Lancaster on August 13, police have said. Michael Hickmon, a grandfather and father of three from Lancaster, was killed.
The grand jury found that Talib “did unlawfully then and there intentionally and knowingly cause the death of Michael Hickmon,” intended to cause Hickmon bodily injury and committed an act “clearly dangerous to human life” by shooting a firearm, which killed the coach.”
CNN has reached out to Talib’s attorney, Clark Birdsall, for comment. Previously, when asked if his client would claim self-defense, Birdsall told CNN: “There will be a defense issue.”
“Mr. Talib regrets the tragic loss of life but turned himself into the law so he could tell his side of the story,” the attorney said August 15 when Talib surrendered to police.
Video from the scene shows a man apparently arguing with referees when several people begin fighting on another section of the field. Five shots ring out, and the camera pans to the ground for about 40 seconds. In the video, it cannot be determined who fired the shots. Panicked screams can be heard off camera. When the camera refocuses upfield, people are seen tending to someone on the ground as others walk over.
Hickmon’s fellow coach and friend, Heith Mayes, witnessed the shooting and confirmed the video to CNN.
The first 911 call about the shooting came just after 9 p.m., police have said. When authorities arrived at the scene, witnesses said the incident began with a disagreement between coaches and the officiating crew, according to a news release from Lancaster police.
“During the disagreement, the opposing coach staff were involved in a physical altercation and one of the individuals involved in the altercation discharged a firearm striking one adult male,” the release said.
Ciciely Hickmon, Michael Hickmon’s sister, told CNN in August that her brother was coaching his son’s team when the gunfire erupted. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters, a son and three grandchildren, Ciciely Hickmon said.
“Our family is grieving. Right now, we don’t see an end to our grief,” the family said in a statement. “We miss him immensely. We always will. We will love him forever.”
Aqib Talib was also at the scene when the shooting happened.
He “is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life,” Aqib Tablib’s attorney, Frank Perez, said in August. Talib is a five-time Pro Bowl defensive back who was part of the Denver Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 in 2016. He retired after the 2019 season.
Lancaster is a city of almost 41,000 in Dallas County. It’s a roughly 25-minute drive south of downtown Dallas.
The-CNN-Wire
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