Yaqub Salik Talib, 39, brother of former NFL star and Super Bowl winner Aqib Talib, pulled out a gun after opposing teams’ coaching staffs had a disagreement over how to conduct the game in Lancaster, police said. Michael Hickmon, a grandfather and father of three from Lancaster, was killed.
“The altercation became physical, which resulted in the suspect pulling out a firearm and shooting Mr Hickmon multiple times,” the Lancaster Police Department said in a statement. “After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene in an unidentified vehicle, taking the firearm with him.”
Authorities issued an arrest warrant charging Yaqub Talib with murder, a first-degree offence. The incident is being further investigated, police said.
Ciciely Hickmon told CNN that her brother was coaching his son’s team when the shooting 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.
“Mike was a great husband, son, father, grandfather, brother, friend and coach. Our family is mourning. At the moment we see no end to our grief,” the family said in a statement. “We miss him very much. We always will. We will love him forever.”
Multiple 911 calls from Lancaster Community Park were received just before 9 p.m., police said. When authorities arrived at the scene, witnesses said the incident began with a disagreement between coaches and the acting crew, according to a Lancaster Police press release.
“During the disagreement, opposing coaching staff engaged in a physical altercation and one of those involved in the altercation fired a firearm, which hit an adult male,” the press release said.
Yaqub Talib’s alleged role in the altercation that preceded the shooting is unclear. There is an active arrest warrant for him, police said.
Video from the scene shows a man appearing to be arguing with referees as 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. The video does not show who fired the shots. Panic screams can be heard from the off. When the camera focuses up, you see people tending to someone on the ground while others walk over. CNN continues to work to confirm the authenticity of the video.
The suspect’s brother, Aqib Talib, is a five-time Pro Bowl defenseman who was part of the Denver Broncos team that won Super Bowl L in 2016.
A first-round pick for the Tampa Buccaneers in 2008, Aqib Talib attributed his success in part to his brother’s leadership. As children, the two shared time between their father in New Jersey and their mother in Cleveland, Ohio, and Aqib said Yaqub, who was three grades ahead of his little brother, insisted that she and her mother go to football before high school -Dallas stronghold draw school, according to a story about the Buccaneers-produced draft pick.
“My brother always brought me into his team. We played outside and I played with all the older guys and he put me on the team first. He was a big influence on me because he only played to an older audience, so when I played with people my age I was like, ‘I’m used to playing with people who are older than you.’ He’s played a really big role in my football career,” the team quoted Aqib Talib as saying.
The future star added, “I don’t know what would have happened if I had stayed (in New Jersey). I don’t know what situation I would have been in, so I’m definitely grateful…for taking that step and going to Texas.”
Aqib Talib retired after the 2019 season after 12 years in the NFL playing for four teams.
Lancaster is a city of nearly 41,000 people in Dallas County. It’s about a 25-minute drive south of downtown Dallas.