Yacoub Talib, brother of retired soccer player Aqib Talib, was sentenced to 37 years in prison on Monday after being found guilty of killing youth soccer coach Michael Hickmon.
Yaqoub Talib, 40, agreed to plead guilty as part of the plea bargain last month after being charged last September. He and Aqib were present at the match in Lancaster, Texas, where the shooting took place last August. The witnesses reportedly said that the Talib brothers had an argument with Heckmon over a call from a referee.
Yacoub Talib shot Hakmon in front of a number of children, including the victim’s 9-year-old son. According to court documents, Hakamon was shot in the front and back of his body. He died at Central Methodist Hospital in Dallas.
A student reportedly left the scene after the altercation and turned himself in to law enforcement days after the shooting. Aqib reportedly stepped down from his duties with Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcast team to “spend time with his family” following his brother’s arrest.
The two brothers were present in a Dallas County courtroom Monday:
After the verdict was handed down, Hakmon’s family members and friends had the option of taking the stand and addressing Yaqoub Taleb directly.
Hickmon’s wife, Kineta, spoke of the difficulties she faces without her husband and raising three children on her own.
“You killed innocence. You killed lives, hopes, dreams. Not just my kids. But all the little kids that were there, 30 or 40 in number. Who would do that? How do you think that was right?” she said on monday. “People ask have I been cured? I will never be cured. I still ask myself every day: Why?”
Hickmon’s family sued the Big XII Sports League, Family Services and the Talib brothers for more than $1 million in December. The unresolved personal injury lawsuit alleges that Akeb played a major role in sparking the brawl that led to Yaqoub shooting Hakmon. The suit also alleged that the Big XII Sports League and Family Services failed to vet coaches and provide a safe and secure environment for their participants.
