Mo. Man Convicted of Shooting Son’s Football Coach After Becoming Upset Over Playing Time

A Missouri man has been convicted of shooting a youth football coach after becoming upset over his son’s playing time, authorities said.

Daryl B. Clemmons, 45, was found guilty of assault and armed criminal action in connection with the 2023 shooting on Friday, Feb. 28, according to a press release from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. 

Prosecutors said Clemmons shot 34-year-old Shaquille Latimore, a volunteer coach for the City Rec Legends Football League, after a verbal argument over the amount of playing time Clemmons’s son had been getting during a practice game in the city’s Kingsway West neighborhood on Oct. 10, 2023. 

According to prosecutors, both men had guns during the argument but Latimore gave his gun to a friend, saying they should “fight with fists.” That’s when Clemmons shot Latimore five times before fleeing the scene. Clemmons turned himself in to police later that day. 

Per the release, a group of children were playing nearby at the time of the shooting.

During the trial, Latimore, who survived the shooting, testified that Clemmons continued firing bullets at him after he had fallen down, KTVI reported. As for Clemmons, he said in court that the shooting was self-defense after Latimore urged him to fight, per the outlet.

“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 the release.

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“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.”

Prosecutors said Clemmons is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13.