Man suspected in slaying of youth football coach turns himself in, authorities say

By Michael Williams

The man suspected of killing a youth football coach during a game in Lancaster over the weekend turned himself in to face a murder charge on Monday, according to authorities.

Yaqub Salik Talib, 39, turned himself in to the Dallas County Jail on Monday, Lancaster police spokesman Scott Finley said in an email. Jail records indicate Talib was not immediately booked; a lawyer for Talib did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Talib is suspected of killing youth football coach Michael Hickmon during a game in Lancaster on Saturday. Video of the incident shared on Facebook shows a group of men fighting, followed by the sound of several gunshots.

Talib, the brother of former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib, was named as a suspect shortly after. An arrest affidavit for Talib was not immediately available.

According to Finley, witnesses told investigators the fight was prompted by a disagreement the opposing coaching staffs had over a call made by the officiating crew.

“The altercation became physical leading to the suspect pulling out a firearm” and shooting Hickmon multiple times, Finley said. The shooter then fled in a car.

Finley added that several witnesses — both adults and children — were present during the shooting.

Records show that Yaqub Talib was recently indicted on gun and drug charges. Last Wednesday, just three days before Hickmon’s slaying, Talib was indicted on a methamphetamine charge. In March, a grand jury indicted Talib on an unlawful possession of a gun charge. Those cases are still pending.

In 2014, Yaqub Talib made news after being arrested after a fight at a Dallas nightclub. Witnesses reported a heavily intoxicated Talib was throwing bottles and fighting people. A Dallas police employee mistakenly named Aqib Talib as being involved in the fight — and the department published Aqib Talib’s name on social media in connection with the incident.

Dallas police later apologized to Aqib Talib for the mistake. Yaqub Talib was arrested on a public intoxication charge; the results of that case were not immediately known.