Stepfather of local coach who was shot, killed in Duquesne looking to start award for youth athletes

DUQUESNE, Pa. — At the sidelines of the East End Raiders games is where you could find LaMont Nichols.

“I’m the one that actually inspired him to be a coach, we coached this past season together,” said Jarrod Johnson.

Johnson is Nichols stepfather and together they coached side by side.

“A father son type. He knew what I was thinking, and I knew what he was thinking, there were times I would catch him, and he would catch me when we just had to give each other eye contact,” Johnson said.

But this weekend, Nichols was shot and killed in Duquesne. Police said the shooter was Latiya Hicks and it left a hole in his family’s heart.

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“His daughter turns three on Friday, it’s just very heartbreaking all around. We are all numb, the world has lost another person that didn’t need to leave. This is just going to hurt our family and our community in the long run,” Johnson said.

Johnson told Channel 11 it hurts to imagine even coaching without Nichols, but he knows that he would want him to continue for the kids, that’s why he will be implementing a change to honor Nichols legacy this season. “We are going to make the LaMont Nichols award for the kid that works the hardest, shows that fire and we are just going to continue to carry his name on so people remember who Coach Mont was,” Johnson said.

If you would like to help Nichols’ family, click here for the GoFundMe.

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