Court appearance for man charged in nightclub death of Stampeders player

By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

CALGARY – A man charged in the killing of a Calgary Stampeders player outside a nightclub is to make his first court appearance today.

Nelson Tony Lugela, who is 19, is charged with second-degree murder.

Mylan Hicks, a 23-year-old defensive back who was on the football team’s practice roster, was shot outside the Marquee Beer Market and Stage early Sunday morning.

Hicks was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died.

Police say an altercation that involved several people inside the nightclub spilled outside after it closed.

A gun was recovered at the scene; the suspect was wanted on outstanding warrants.

Hicks’s teammate, Jamar Wall, was one of several Stampeders at the bar that night.

He says he didn’t witness the shooting but wishes he and his teammates could have done something.

“I don’t know exactly what happened. I know there was a group of guys who were just kind of there and they were just kind of looking for it,” said Wall.

“Sadly, we took the short end of the stick.”

Lugela’s appearance occurs the same day the Stampeders leave for Hamilton for a weekend football game.

Wall will wear Hicks’s No. 31 jersey to honour his teammate.

The bar posted a statement on social media saying it was working with police.

“The security protocols that are in place, such as ID scans and pat-downs for all patrons entering our facility, as well as the professionalism of our staff, will hopefully lead to swift justice for the perpetrator of this horrendous crime,” the statement said.

Hicks signed with the Stampeders in May but hadn’t played a game this season. The team, currently first in the West Division, is on a 12-game unbeaten streak.

He was born in Detroit and played for Michigan State, where he recorded a career-high 19 tackles and four pass breakups in nine games in his senior year in 2014.

— Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter

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