Details surrounding the shooting death of former Saints defensive end Will Smith over the weekend continue to emerge. The latest report out of New Orleans indicates Smith had a loaded gun inside of his car when he was shot by 28-year-old Cardell Hayes following a confrontation over a car wreck.
BREAKING: Police: Former Saints player Will Smith had loaded pistol inside car when he was shot.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 12, 2016
Police say Smith’s gun was never fired in the incident. However, Hayes’ lawyer seemed to suggest his client feared for his life when he fired upon Smith and his wife, Raquel. She was also shot in the leg during the exchange. Raquel Smith was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is still recovering from her injuries.
“Only one gun was confiscated. That’s a little bit different from only one gun being present,” said Hayes’ lawyer John Fuller. “It’d be safe to say that not only did my client feel threatened, but citizens that were out there in that block felt threatened as well.”
Security footage was released late Monday night that appears to show Smith’s Mercedes hit Hayes’ Hummer before fleeing the scene. Hayes, is then to have allegedly pursued Smith’s car and eventually rear ended him, which sparked the fatal confrontation between the two men early Sunday morning.
Former Saints running back and teammate of Smith’s, Pierre Thomas, published a Facebook post Tuesday indicating he witnessed his death.
Pierre Thomas says he witnessed Will Smith being shot pic.twitter.com/kb1kArLzV7
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 12, 2016
Hayes was arrested at the scene Sunday night and charged with second-degree murder. In addition to the weapon used to kill Smith, a .45-caliber handgun, police also found a fully-loaded revolver inside Hayes’ car. The revolver was not fired in the incident.
