Parent and their children are having a difficult time with the loss of a youth football coach and mentor in the community.
Aaron Hines, known to many as Coach Ball, was shot and killed Thursday at a home on Skylar Way. He was a beloved figure, serving as a coach for the Georgia Rattlers football team and a father figure to many children.
Lolitha Perry, a parent, told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that Hines taught kids about life on and off the field at Washington Park.
“If my boys were in trouble? Coach Ball. Riley acting up? Coach Ball,” Perry said.
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She recalled how he would have the kids run up and down a hill when they messed up on the field.
Perry expressed her heartbreak upon learning of his death
“I mean, I immediately started crying. It was devastating. It was devastating,” she said.
Atlanta Police responded to a shooting call at the home where they found Hines dead.
Perry noted the irony of Coach Ball’s death, as he taught kids to be about peace and love, with his “#peaceandblessings.”
Perry recounted her son’s reaction to the news.
“He wasn’t prepared to hear Coach Ball’s name. Immediately he was horrified. Horrified,” she said. “His eyes filled up with water.”
Jones asked her who would want to take his life.
“There’s always opposition. There’s always. The enemy is there to steal kill and destroy,” she said.
Parents are planning a vigil to be held next week for Coach Ball at the field where he coached.
Police said they have a person of interest they need to speak with.
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