BALTIMORE — Family and friends are mourning the loss of a beloved youth football coach who was killed in Baltimore on March 2.
Garrick “Dipper” Williams Jr. died after he and another man were hit by a car in the parking lot of the Mondawmin Mall.
As of Tuesday, April, 19, 2022, the man who was behind the wheel has been charged with negligent manslaughter, homicide by motor vehicle, driving while impaired by a drug and failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving death.
Galen Hyman, 60, is now in police custody almost a year after the incident.
Williams, who was also known as “Coach Dip”, was considered a mentor and inspiration for so many through his work as a coach for the FCA Baltimore Park Heights Secret Society Saints.
He was a coach with the Saints program for 10 years.
“I’m really heartbroken and devastated,” said Sirena Alford, who is the director of FCA Baltimore, which is organization that partners with the football program.
Alford visited the family to offer her condolences. She said the family is devastated over the loss.
Jay Steimetz coached with Williams. He said he was more like a mentor to his players. Steimetz said he not only taught the kids about the game of football but also about the x’s and o’s on how to succeed in life.
“He just loved working with the kids," he said. "It wasn’t a matter of what can you do to win a game. It was what can we do to help you grow and be better.”
Friends said he is a man who will be remembered forever for his positive impact on the community of Park Heights and the city of Baltimore.
“I really believe he was a living legacy. He was already living,” Alford said. “It’s going to continue on in the hearts and minds of the athletes, the parents, the coaches, his family and the community.”
