Lions' Justin Coleman Says Hometown Friend Ahmaud Arbery Wanted to Change World

Detroit Lions cornerback Justin Coleman was a friend and football teammate of Ahmaud Arbery during high school.

He reflected on a conversation he had with Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging during the day in Brunswick, Georgia, in February.

"I was just thinking in my head like, dang, your purpose basically was to start this movement and try to change the world cuz now your life does have a purpose," Coleman said Wednesday, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "His name is being continuously talked about every single day now."

Coleman is not the only member of the Lions secondary who knew Arbery.

Detroit safety Tracy Walker was a second cousin and high school football teammate with Arbery and opened up about the video of the latter's death that was widely circulated, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.

"He did not deserve that," Walker said. "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."

Last Thursday, CBS News reported Magistrate Court Judge Wallace Harrell ruled there was enough evidence against defendants Greg and Travis McMichael and William Bryan to advance the murder charges to a trial court.

An autopsy showed Arbery was shot three times, including twice in the chest.

A call for justice in Arbery's death, as well as that of George Floyd on May 25, has been a driving force behind nationwide protests against police brutality and racism in recent weeks. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for his life and said he couldn't breathe.