Mylan Hicks, a player for the Calgary Stampeders, was killed in a shooting at the Marquee Beer Market early Sunday morning.
Police said they were called to the southeast nightclub just after 2:30 a.m. MT on Sunday following reports someone had been shot.
Investigators said the victim was rushed to the Foothills hospital with critical injuries where he later died.
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Calgary Police Insp. Don Coleman said at a news conference that the altercation began in the bar before moving outside where it escalated and ultimately led to Hicks’ death.
He also said police already have three suspects in custody.
“There were three adult males arrested shortly after the incident, in the area where it occurred,” Coleman told reporters. “One of those males is known to police.”
There is no word yet on what prompted the shooting or whether Hicks was the intended victim.
There was also no word on whether charges are being laid. Police are asking anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
Coleman said there were other football players at the bar with Hicks, but it’s unclear whether they were part of the altercation.
A nightclub employee who witnessed the event said it was unexpected because there was no fight inside the bar.
“Nothing happened inside. If a fight happens inside we notify our staff right away and we keep an eye out outside,” he said.
The man, who didn’t want to reveal his name, said the victim was shot in the stomach.
“He was actually in serious condition it was hard for him to breathe we tried to put pressure on his wound we tried to help as much as we could,” he said.
Bar staff were the ones to call 911, and they provided a vehicle description to the police, which helped them find the suspect.
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In a statement online, the Stampeders said they were “devastated by the news of the death of team member Mylan Hicks.”
Hicks, a 23-year-old Detroit native, was a defensive back on the team. He was added to the Stamps practice roster earlier this year. In 2015, he signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers but was released before the season started, according to the Stampeders’ website. He previously played for Michigan State.
“It’s a terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mylan’s family,” general manager John Hufnagel said in the statement.
CFL commissioner Jeffery Orridge also offered his sympathies.
“Mylan was a respected young man throughout his collegiate and professional careers,” Brian Ramsey of the CFL Players’ Association said.
“As a member of the Calgary Stampeders, he was just starting to establish himself amongst his teammates, coaches and fans in the city. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mylan’s family, friends, teammates and the Calgary Stampeders organization during this extremely difficult time.”
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Hufnagel said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that Hicks’ family has been notified of the incident, and the organization is working hard to bring them to Calgary, but since Hicks’ mother doesn’t have a passport it will take time before that happens.
Players are “grief-stricken” according to Hufnagel, because the organization was more like a family.
An autopsy is expected to be completed on Monday.
Coleman said the high profile of the case isn’t fazing police officers.
“There’s no more pressure because every homicide investigation we still want to solve it for the victim and the families that are involved,” he said.
“In this case and we’ve had some excellent witnesses complemented by some great work by patrol officers and those two things alone put us in an advanced state of investigation in the early hours. And we’re hoping we’ll be able to resolve it relatively quickly, but there’s still lots of work to do.”
Since news of his death broke condolences have been pouring in on Twitter.
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