Peewee football coach accused of shooting two people after game is defended by parents

CINCINNATI (WXIX) — Parents of players on a peewee football team are coming forward to support the team's coach who is accused of shooting two people after a game Sunday night.

Lamont Ragan, 29, is charged with aggravated assault.

Ragan is the coach of the West End Elite Royals.

“We see the kids out there getting in and fighting. Nobody goes out there. We left it to the referees to take care of it because the referees took care of it. Then a parent ran onto the field,” said Rodnesha, a woman whose son plays on the team.

She says the parent who ran onto the field was from the other team, the Evanston Bulldogs.

“He said who this kid belongs to and Lamont came over like he belonged to me. His parents aren't there, so he's with me, and he said he just hit Lamont,” Rodesha said.

Ragan's attorney said the shooting was in self-defense when Ragan appeared in court Thursday.

“Nobody stopped it. Everyone that was there and was supposed to protect everyone, like the bosses, they were with the Evanston Bulldogs. So we had no one to protect us. The Royals had no one. When we tried to help them, our coach was fired and it was like it never ended,” Rodesha said.

Duke Ragan says his brother was a good person who was just trying to protect his players.

“He just did what he had to do to protect himself and the children. This is a self-funded non-profit organization. He’s not going to do anything that would jeopardize that,” Duke said.

Ragan's football players and mothers of team members agree.

“Outside of training, he still goes to the players’ homes, he checks on the kids, he feeds the parents, he does a lot for these kids. He loves these children,” said one mother.

“Coach Lamont was a great person because he wanted to help everyone, if they needed something they would come to him, and I feel like that was just a sad incident,” said Eric Taylor, who played for the West End Elite Royals plays.

“He's a good guy. He’s helpful, he’s grateful and he does things to help the homeless,” Royals player Kendall Bowden said.

Mothers of players on the team say they believe everyone involved should be charged, not just Ragan.

“It's a big deal, I don't want to say that, and no one should have had guns, but as one of his team's coaches said, if no punches had been thrown, no shots would have been fired.”

Lamont Ragan is scheduled to appear in court again on October 31.

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