Man shot son's football coach over argument about lack of playing time

A man has been found guilty after shooting a youth football coach over an argument about his son’s playing time.

45-year-old Missouri man, Daryl B. Clemmons was found guilty of first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting volunteer American football coach for the City Rec Legends Football League, 34-year-old Shaquille Latimore, close to the young team’s sports practice in 2023, according to a press release from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

The incident occurred on 10 October 2023 at Sherman Park and unfolded during an alleged dispute over Clemmons’ son’s playing time, in which the pair were both armed with weapons.

Latimore handed his gun to a friend and suggested they “fight with fists”, but instead Clemmons opened fire and fled the scene of the crime, which was near to where a group of nine and 10-year-olds were playing at the time. He handed himself in to police later that evening.

Latimore was fired at five times but survived the incident. Clemmons said he was acting in self-defence, claiming Latimore challenged him to fight while holding a weapon.

“Violence, especially in youth sports, is completely unacceptable and undermines the purpose of these programs—teaching teamwork, discipline, and respect,” Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in a statement.

“This could easily have been a lethal encounter for the coach as well as for the children and family members present. Unfortunately, the trauma of this event will not be easily forgotten by all those who witnessed it.”

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