Originally posted on February 9, 2025 @ 4:28 pm
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights Recap for Until the Parents Get Involved
-This week’s episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights is titled Until the Parents Get Involved, talking about a youth football game ending in murder. The incident happened on August 13, 2022 in Lancaster, Texas.
-Officer Joshua Nino talks about how football was a huge thing in town and how he was working the day of the murder. There were multiple calls about a shooting at a football game. He and several other officers showed up at the scene, but there was no one there. They are told to go to the other side….where the youth football games took place.
-The scene was chaos, and it was believed the shooting took place due to events that occurred during a game.
-Jean Jacques Taylor, a sports reporter, Coach Heith Mayes and Coach Calvin Smith McKinney all discuss the intensity of the game and how several parents live their dreams through their kids.
-Coach Tevar Watson echoes how invested people get into these games, including the fans.
-Prosecutor Jason Fine talks about how several youth football games took place the night of the shooting. The 9U Dragons were playing against NDU Bobcats. It was anticipated to be one of the best games of the night. No one anticipated what would happen or that the night would end in tragedy.
-Despite the chaos, only Michael Hickmon was shot and killed. He was a coach for one of the teams and was fighting for his life as his family looked on in shock and terror.
-Kenyetta, Michael’s wife was freaking out, not only because her husband was shot, but because she had no idea where her son was. She soon found out that someone took him away so he would not see his dad in such a shocking state.
-Kenyetta recalls meeting Michael and their lives being into football. He had been a player prior to having their son Mike. Before long, Mike was involved in youth football to expose him to the game. The plan was to let him play when he was older, but he was soon on the team Michael coached, the 9U Dragons.
-Tevar, who actually owned the team, recalls the night of the shooting. He had been at the game, but elsewhere on the field. He showed them videos from the game, and even more was shared via social media in hopes that they would find the shooter. Witnesses also shared what happened in those scary, fatal moments.
-Former NFL player Aqib Talib was the lead coach of the rival team. There was a huge rivalry between his team and others, especially Michael’s team, who wanted to be known as the one to beat the NFL team.
-At this point, it was unclear who had the gun that shot Michael, and a lot of misinformation was being shared.
-Michael was pronounced dead at the hospital. His family, friends and loved ones were left in a state of shock and wondering why this would happen, especially at a preseason youth football game.
-Several people remember how the game went well in the beginning, but a personal foul caused Aqib to go irate and several people going after the ref. Things were more or less settled, but another play caused another fight. The game ended with Michael’s team winning, which led to the violent moments that would end his life.
-The footage was reviewed again and it is shown that Michael’s ball being kicked and commotion after the game when the kids were shaking hands. Michael had tried to calm things down when the shooting occurred, all over a ball.
-Aqib was initially the prime suspect, but then his brother Yaqub was identified as the shooter. He was another Bobcats coach and never seemed to have a problem with anyone on the teams prior to the murder.
-However, he did have a criminal record that involved violence with weapons. In fact, he wasn’t even allowed to carry a gun at the time of the murder.
-A warrant is out for Yaqub’s arrest, but he arranged to turn himself in the Monday after the shooting. He was set to go to trial, but in August 2023, Yaqub plead guilty in exchange for 37 years behind bars.
-Kenyetta addressed him in the courtroom, saying how he destroyed the lives of herself, her children and those who loved Michael.
-Michael Jr continues to play football in his gather’s honor and led his team to an 11U championship, winning MVP.
About the Author
