St. Louis youth football coach shot multiple times by a parent over playing time

A St. Louis youth football coach was shot multiple times by a parent last week who was upset his son was receiving enough playing time.

Shaquille Lattimore, 30, was shot several times at Sherman Park as he was coaching a CityRec football team that consisted mostly of 9- and 10-year-olds.

“I didn’t see his gun until it was already too late,” Latimore told the St. Louis Dispatch from his hospital bed. “I ran, and he shot me in the back. I fell, and he shot me a couple more times.”

Latimore said that Darryl Clemmons, 43, was previously a coach for the team and would often critique Latimore’s performance.

“Some parents try to live through their kids,” Latimore told the publication.

Latimore, hospitalized in critical but stable condition as of Thursday, told the Dispatch that he’s going “to be OK.”

While not usually as violent, Latimore said he’s forced to deal with unruly parents on a regular basis.

“We deal with this pretty much all the time in youth football,” he said. “Parents get mad because their kids not starting or whatever the reason, you know. They want to fight or they want to take matters into their own hands.”

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has charged Clemmons with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the investigation. According to court records obtained by NewsNation affiliate KTVI, Clemmons was “upset with [the coach] for not starting his son.”