When her son moved from the U.S. to play pro football in Canada, Renee Hill thanked God that he had left "all the nonsense that went on" in Detroit for a "safer place."

But that ended early Sunday morning when — only months after signing with the Stampeders — Mylan Hicks was shot outside the Marquee Beer Market after an altercation spilled into the parking lot.

We speak with the mother of Mylan Hicks, the Calgary Stampeder who was shot and killed outside a club on Macleod Trail early Sunday morning. 7:22

The 23-year-old's mother told the Calgary Eyeopener in a phone interview from her Detroit home that she's been able to piece together some of what happened in the club after talking with investigators and fellow Stampeders who witnessed the incident.

"Mylan was never part of the altercation. The guy who killed my son was in the club wreaking havoc all night. They said my son arrived later," Renee Hill said.

"He was never part of the altercation but when he got there, this individual was still cutting up. They said my son gave him a hug and asked him to calm it down: 'It is going to be all right. Here, let me buy you a round [of drinks], a round on me,' and he did that and he still killed him."

That didn't mean her son was a pushover, she said.

"He would try to defuse trouble, but would he fight? Oh, yes. He would fight and you would know you had been in one with him," Hill said.

So many nights I prayed and thanked God because he wasn't here. For the little I knew about Canada, I felt that it was a safer place. - Mylan Hicks's mother, Renee Hill

"He knew how to survive, because here in Detroit that is what you learn quick, is how to survive and that is why I didn't want him here.

"So many nights I prayed and thanked God because he wasn't here. For the little I knew about Canada, I felt that it was a safer place, that they didn't have all the nonsense that went on here. I was so happy, in fact, everybody that asked me, 'How was Mylan?' I would always respond, 'He is good, he is not here.'"

Nelson Lugela, 19, was charged with second-degree murder Monday. He's back in court Sept. 30. Two other people were arrested and then released without charge.

Police have located a firearm and a vehicle and are working to determine if they are related, while the investigation continues.

'A thinker, not a blinker'

Hill said her son was raised to stay alive on the tough streets of Detroit.

Mylan Hicks, shown taking down an Edmonton Eskimo player in pre-season action in June, signed with the Stampeders in May and was on Calgary's practice roster. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

"I told him, 'You know what you have to become to beat the odds here? You have to become a thinker, not a blinker,'" Hill said.

"'You can lose your life in the blink of an eye, so you be a thinker.' He was a thoughtful individual, a kind and loving person, he was never a pushover. He had a rough edge to him, but playing sports he needed that. He loved people, he would not have hurt anyone, only if you were trying to hurt him," she added.

"That's why I can't understand how they could snuff my baby's life out like that."

'He would give you the shirt off his back'

Hill says her son was someone who solved problems rather than create them.

"Loyal, very loyal, awesome, intelligent, bright, knew how to communicate effectively and well. He was a team player. He was somewhat of a private person. He would give you the shirt off his back. He did not like altercation," she said.

"He liked people and he loved the Lord and that is the most important thing, because we know that Mylan is in safer hands."

Hill, who has six children, says Mylan was never disrespectful.

"Some of them talked back, but not Mylan. Though he may not have wanted to hear what I had to say about a lot of things, he was never dismissive of anything that I said."

Hicks top of mind as teammates hold practice

The memory of Hicks wasn't far from his fellow Stampeders' minds as they resumed practice Tuesday.

Defensive back Jamar Wall said he would start wearing Hicks's number 31 beginning at this weekend's game in Hamilton. Wall said he had taken Hicks under his wing to help a fellow defensive back who was on the team's practice squad.

The 23-year-old defensive back from Detroit was fatally shot outside the Marquee nightclub on Macleod Trail early Sunday. 1:10

"I felt like that was something I should do, being a leader on the back end and him being in my position, loving him like a true brother, that would be my privilege to do that in honour of him," Wall said after practice.

On Sunday, the Stampeders held a news conference to express their shock at his death, describing him as a patient, hard-working player who had already become like family to some teammates.

"He worked hard every day to get better and he had patience and he had all the traits you wanted to have in that locker room," the team's president and general manager John Hufnagel said.

Fellow player Joshua Bell called Hicks family.

"Hicks was a dog on that football field, he was 110 per cent. He knew nothing but push the button and go. It was either on or off. He was family, he family. My little bro," Bell said.

'Loved him too much'

Meanwhile, Hill said she's relying on her faith now.

"I pray and I ask the Lord to cover my son every day. To cover him with the blood of Jesus, because I want him to remain safe. He was my pride and he was my joy," she said, pausing.

"I think I may have loved him too much. And then again I said, 'No, Lord, you gave me that love for him.'"

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener, Meghan Grant and The Canadian Press