Mike Hickmon, a youth football coach based in Texas, was allegedly shot to death by an opposing coach during a game. His family has recently opened up about the emotional toll his death has taken.
Hickmon was killed on Saturday after 39-year-old Yaqub Talib, a coach on the opposing team and brother to ex-NFL player Aqib Talib, allegedly opened fire after a verbal disagreement occurred. Although Talib turned himself into the local authorities and is being charged with first-degree murder, nothing can repair the damage felt by the Hickmon family.
Toronda Alford, a cousin to the victim, reported to media outlet PEOPLE that his wife and son witnessed the fatal accident from the sidelines of the game. “She’s just numb,” Alford said of the coach’s wife Kenyetta Hickmon.
“She could have never imagined that this would’ve happened. That’s their typical Saturday — to get up and go to a little league game — whether he was coaching, whether it was his best friend’s game, whether it was a family member’s. That was their thing to do, and it’s tragic.”
RELATED: Youth Football Coach Mike Hickmon Shot to Death by Opposing Coach During Game
Mike Hickmon was a devoted father and husband who did everything ‘from the heart’
The 43-year-old was a father to Ashley, 25; Emerie, 14; and Mike Jr., 9. He was incredibly supportive of their every endeavor. Especially in regard to athletics.
“Their dad was at every game,” she continued. “Their dad was dropping them off at practice, picking them up at practice. Him and Mike Jr. — they flew somewhere for a game. So, I don’t even know how they are going to go on without him. He was their biggest cheerleader.”
Alongside his own children, Hickmon was dedicated to coaching others and spent the last five years as a coach for a local youth football team, the D.E.A. Dragons. According to his cousin, he was an incredibly good person with a heart made of gold.
“This was a loving father and husband, and everything he did, he did from the heart. He was one of those, ‘What do you need me to do, how can I help?’ type of people,” she said.
“He was one in a million,” Alfred continued, speaking highly of Hickmon. “I just hope that as a family, we can make him as proud as he made us.”
A GoFundMe has been organized to help cover the cost of funeral arrangements and a balloon release in the coach’s honor will occur at 6 p.m. Saturday at DeSoto Stadium in DeSoto, Texas.
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