A fight that ended with Aqib Talib’s brother allegedly shooting and murdering a youth soccer coach may have been started by the former NFL cornerback, witnesses reportedly said.
Witnesses reportedly told Rebecca Lopez of the Dallas WFAA that Talib fueled the fight by crossing the field and confronting the umpires. The fight soon escalated, with a witness, coach Heith Mays, saying that Talib struck the first blow against Mike Hickmon, who was shot moments later.
From WFAA:
“He ran across the field and got on our sidelines and got in the referee’s face.”
“He’s the one who struck the first blow, that’s why you see Mike running back to defend himself.”
WFAA also has video of the brawl, which shows a person identified as Talib hitting a man trying to fight back a group with a downward marker. Seconds later, another man pulls out a gun and shoots the man with the downward marker. TMZ has another video showing the pre-fight scene.
Talib’s lawyer released a statement confirming that his client was present at the shooting and said he was “very distraught and devastated”:
“Aqib Talib was present when this unfortunate incident took place and is deeply distraught and devastated at this terrible loss of life. He wishes to extend his condolences to the victim’s family and to all who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy.”
Talib’s older brother, Yaqub Talib, was identified by Lancaster Police on Sunday as a suspect in the shooting. Yaqub voluntarily surrendered Monday at the Dallas County Jail and is now charged with murder, according to the WFAA. His lawyer plans to argue that the shooting was in self-defense.
Aqib has credited his brother in the past for helping nurture his football career growing up, although both brothers have been involved in ugly incidents in the past. WFAA says the two brothers have been investigated for multiple shootings in the past, including one incident in 2016 when it was concluded that Aqib had accidentally shot himself in Las Vegas.
As an NFL player, Aqib played 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams, making five Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos. When he retired, he was hired by Amazon in June as an analyst for this season’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage.
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