Tracy Walker says he still can’t make sense of it. He has tried for months to understand why his cousin Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in broad daylight in their hometown of Brunswick, Georgia. The Detroit Lions safety says he has questions he has been trying to answer.

When the video of his 25-year-old cousin’s killing appeared online, Walker says, he watched it “no exaggeration, over 100 times,” each time leaving him more frustrated, more angry and more “pissed off.”

“Man, he did not deserve that,” Walker told ESPN. “He did not deserve that. And, you know, God has a plan for everybody, man, but, you know, it’s tough. It is. That’s why I watched it so many times. I couldn’t grasp it. It’s such a gruesome video, you want to know why.”

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After the video appeared last week, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault more than two months after Arbery was killed on Feb. 23. Federal prosecutors also are considering hate-crime charges that would allow for a separate case in federal court.

Walker said he has known Arbery almost his entire life. His second cousin was a year older, played with him at Brunswick High School, always made him laugh after football games and practices, and “was slow as molasses, but he would hit you” on the football field.

After tough practices, Walker says, Arbery would joke that he was going to quit because of conditioning drills. Or he’d say something after a loss — Brunswick was not good Arbery’s senior year — to bring levity to a difficult teenage moment.

To Walker, Arbery was the kid who was always smiling.

“He was a beautiful soul,” Walker said. “He wasn’t a hateful person. He was not. I can’t name one person he had a beef with growing up. Everybody loved Ahmaud because he was just a clown, a funny guy.”

In high school, they lived across the street from each other. They played basketball in Arbery’s driveway and spent hours after school playing “Call of Duty: Zombies” until it got dark and Walker had to go home.

“He was like, ‘Man, you got to try these Zombies,'” Walker said. “I’m like, ‘Man, what? I don’t play Zombies because I don’t like no scary stuff.’ He ended up getting me to play Zombies, and now I love playing Zombies.”

The two stayed close even after Walker left to play college football for Louisiana-Lafayette and then went to Detroit to play for the Lions. Whenever Walker returned to Brunswick, they caught up. The last time was in February, less than a month before Arbery was killed.

Walker went home for the Super Bowl and to celebrate his 25th birthday on Feb. 1. He and Arbery went out, and Walker bought Arbery a drink. During their conversation, Arbery told Walker how proud he was of his cousin, but he told him to keep working harder, even after he became a starting safety last season. It’s a memory Walker has held on to as he has mourned his cousin.

“It gives me mixed emotions, and the reason why I say that is because it’s sad because that’s the last memory I have of him, but it’s a good memory because he was applauding me and was telling me to keep moving forward and keep doing me, you know what I’m saying,” Walker said. “Keep balling out on that field.

“It was great in that sense. He was basically giving me motivation and pushing me forward to continue being the best person I could possibly be.”

Walker is determined to keep Arbery with him on the field. He already, coincidentally, wears Arbery’s high school number, No. 21, and he plans to write Arbery’s initials on his cleats when the NFL resumes. He also is planning to wear Arbery’s T-shirts underneath his jersey during games as another way to remember his cousin.

Walker has appreciated the support he has received since Arbery’s death became a national news story over the past two weeks. He says it means a lot to him that Arbery’s story has resonated with so many people, including some of his NFL brethren signing a letter seeking a Department of Justice inquiry into Arbery’s death.

Walker said he and his family would like to see the people involved in Arbery’s death held responsible. “We want justice for Ahmaud,” Walker said. “We want the proper justice.”

Former B.C. Lion Joshua Boden has been charged in connection to an alleged domestic dispute earlier this week.

The investigation into Boden began Sunday, May 6 when New Westminster police were alerted to a domestic dispute between a man and a woman, but by the time officers arrived at the scene, the suspect – Boden – had fled, according to a press release from the New Westminster Police Department.

Using evidence collected at the scene, investigators spent the following few days tracking down Boden. They eventually located him on May 9 at an address on Sixth Street. He was arrested without incident, noted the release.

“We’re thankful that he was located only a few days after the alleged offences and that there were no issues during his arrest,” said police spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Scott. “Because this matter is before the courts, we are unable to comment further, but, in any case of alleged violence, we encourage people to speak up and report it to the police.”

Boden, 31, is charged with assault, failing to comply with conditions of recognizance, dangerous driving and driving while prohibited.

He remains in custody at this time. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 16.

Boden was a wide receiver for the B.C. Lions’ 2007/08 season.

– Cayley Dobie, New West Record

The CFL and B.C. Lions have nullified Euclid Cummings’ contract after it came to light Wednesday that the defensive lineman was facing criminal charges in a Vancouver court for sexual assault and threats.

Provincial court documents show the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Atlanta native was charged last April with four criminal offences involving two alleged victims stemming from incidents in Vancouver on Oct. 16, 2016. His team at the time, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, played their regular-season finale at B.C. Place on Oct. 14, 2016.

Cummings is charged with sexual assault, assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to one person, and the sexual assault of another.

The 26-year-old played 16 games the following season with the Edmonton Eskimos — his eight sacks ranking third in the CFL, his three forced fumbles second-best in the league, along with 22 tackles — but news of the charges — filed on April 21, 2017 — only surfaced Wednesday. The league and Lions were both quick to react, voiding his contract as per provisions in the collective bargaining agreement, and scrubbing his presence from their websites.

The CFL released a statement Wednesday. “Upon learning of the criminal charges facing Euclid Cummings, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has voided his contract with the B.C. Lions. As these charges are before the courts, the CFL will offer no further comment.”

Lions general manager Ed Hervey also released a statement, and declined further comment.

“We support the Commissioner’s decision to void the contract of Euclid Cummings in light of criminal charges he is currently facing. We were given no indication by the player or his representation that these charges existed and I assure our fans, partners and supporters of the CFL across Canada, that we would not have offered him a contract had we known about this situation. Given that matter is before the criminal courts and under a publication ban, we will not be offering further comment.”

The Canadian Press reported that Cummings had signed a $150,000 contract with the Leos, including a $70,000 bonus that B.C. can’t recoup and will be counted against their salary cap.

The signing of the Georgia Tech product, who began his career with the Toronto Argonauts in 2014 and played two seasons there before moving to Winnipeg in 2016, was a big boost to the defensive line.

“Euclid is a young, up-and-coming lineman who definitely has the ability and potential to be one of most dominant interior players in the league,” Hervey said when Cummings was signed in mid-February.

“He’s equally skilled at playing the run and getting to the quarterback and never takes a play off.”

The revelation of the charges is particularly awkward, considering the Lions’ commitment to the Be More Than A Bystander campaign. Several members of the team have toured schools around the province, addressing the violence against women and girls and raising awareness of the issue.

Cummings appears in B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver for trial on Oct. 15, 2018.

jadams@postmedia.com