In a shocking incident in St. Louis, Missouri, a youth football coach was reportedly shot four times by a disgruntled parent, upset over his son's non-inclusion in the team's starting lineup.
The 30-year-old volunteer coach, Shaquille Latimore, was allegedly shot during a practice session by Daryl Clemmons, a parent of one of the players. Following the incident, Clemmons turned himself in, according to local news outlet KMOV.
Police reports suggest that Latimore informed authorities that Clemmons was disgruntled due to his son's lack of game time. The father allegedly confronted the coach, asking him "what was up" before brandishing a firearm. This account was corroborated by a witness, leading to Clemmons being charged with felony first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
Speaking from his hospital bed via cell phone video, Latimore expressed his gratitude to those who had offered their support. "I just want to tell y'all, thank y'all," he said, struggling with his words. "Thank y'all everybody who has been praying," he added.
Despite suffering four gunshot wounds, Latimore was discharged from the hospital after just seven days. "Doctor said maybe a half inch to the left, I basically wouldnt have been able to walk again; Id be paralyzed, Latimore revealed after his release.
Latimore also disclosed that there had been a previous altercation with Clemmons. "I confronted him, basically wanted to talk to him or whatever, thats when he started shooting for real," he said.
Antonio Gray, a ten-year-old team member, expressed his concern over the incident, stating that the parent had put all the children at risk. The parent, he gotta think about the future, he gotta think about what could have happened to the other kid, his own son, he could have shot his own son, the boy said.
The incident sparked outrage among parents and coaches when they discovered that their team had been disqualified from the playoffs, despite having a superior win/loss record. The football league issued a statement, taking responsibility for the decision to cancel the team's season. "After a series of incidents perpetuated by adults which culminated in [the] shooting, the Recreation Division decided to suspend the teams participation in the CityRec Legends Football league," the statement read. The decision was made to "ensure the protection of our youth participants, ages 5 to 13."
Latimore, however, expressed his willingness to step back if it meant the team could continue playing. I will step back just so they can let them have a season; dont do that to them, said Latimore. I do still want to coach for sure, he added.
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