A youth football coach was killed in front of his players following practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, Tuesday.
Football ball practice had just ended when longtime mentor Jermain Knox was shot outside the College Hill Recreation Facility.
Knox died at the scene, according to the Cincinnati Police Department. Another man was wounded in the leg and was taken to a hospital, police confirm. No children were injured.
Hundreds of Knox’s friends, family, and young players came to celebrate their coach at a vigil that took place Wednesday on the same field where he taught them, reported local news affiliate WLWT.
The coach, also known as “King Maine,” was memorialized by speeches and at the end, balloons were released in his honor.
“He’s going to be truly missed,” a mourner told WLWT. “Good man. I can’t say anything bad about him because he didn’t have a bad bone, and he had a good heart.”
“If you knew Maine, you knew he loved every last one of these kids,” another mourner shared with the outlet. “There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for anyone.”
Another person shared their memory of Knox: “The one thing about Jermaine, he loved this team with his heart and soul. I only got one wish for the Trojan Black organization: to keep it going the same way he would.”
In a statement, the Cincinnati Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and police did not publicly identify any suspect in the murder.
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