Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells
Prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether to bring second-degree murder charge against suspect Cardell Hayes, who is being held on a$ 1m bond
Former New Orleans Saint player Will Smith was killed in a case of road-rage, by a Humvee-driving man who rear-ended his Mercedes and then shooting him in the back and side, according to a police warrant read in court.
Cardell Hayes, 28, was ordered held on$ 1m bond Sunday night after police arrested him on a charge of second-degree murder.
Smith, 34, was beloved by fans for helping the Saint win the 2009 Super Bowl, and for remaining in the community with his wife, Racquel, and their three children as New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina. He had been enjoying a street celebration Saturday, posting a photo of himself and his wife on Twitter and Instagram with the caption: Having a detonation at the French Quarter Fest.
At about 11.30 pm Saturday night in the upscale Lower Garden District, Hayes Humvee H2 rear-ended Smiths Mercedes G6 3, pushing it into a Chevrolet Impala occupied by two of Smiths acquaintances. Hayes and Smith argued, and Hayes shot both Smith and Smiths wife, Racquel, police told. She was taken to a hospital with a leg wound.
The accident that police said touched off the deadly confrontation was the second within moments, defense attorney John Fuller explained outside the courthouse. He told Hayes ran into the back of Smiths Mercedes while following a hit-and-run driver who had rear-ended his Humvee and sped off. Fuller wouldnt say whether Hayes identified the Mercedes as the vehicle that had rear-ended him.
Hayes is not guilty of murder, and the narrative is more complex than the police account, Fuller told. He told Hayes called 911 after he was hit, and persuaded a witness who was about to leave to remain and talk to police.
Police spokesman Tyler Gamble told the Associated Press in an email Sunday that he had no immediate information about the witness or the 911 call.
Fuller asked for low bond Sunday night , noting that Hayes had waited for police, owns a towing business and is creating his five-year-old son.
Magistrate Brigid Collins said she understood, but according to the warrant, Ive also got a gentleman who was shot in the back.
Prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether to bring the second-degree murder charge against Hayes, who had a hearing scheduled Monday to inform the magistrates court of his permanent lawyer. Fuller, who represented him Sunday, said someone else from his statute firm will represent Hayes because hes been appointed as a temporary judge begin May 2.
Hayes and Smith didnt know each other, Fuller told, but like the NFL star, Hayes played defense, vying last year with the semipro Kings. The squad offered condolences to Smiths family and friends, and praised him as an example of the citys overwhelming kindness and generosity.
We are stunned and saddened by this senseless tragedy. The Crescent City Kings do not enable or condone violence in any shape, kind, or style, the teams Facebook post said.
Hayes is big, but mild, Fuller told Sunday: Hes actually a lot nicer than he appears. Hes soft-spoken, easily approachable.
Online court records demonstrate Hayes pleaded guilty in 2014 to possessing an illegal weapon and drug paraphernalia.
The gun Hayes carried Saturday was legal, Fuller told , noting that police didnt accuse him of any weapons charge. Gamble said the firearm hadnt been reported stolen, but tracing its actual history takes more time.
Hayes sued the New Orleans Police Department and six officers after police killed his father in 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011. The settlement is confidential, told lawyer Ike Spears, who represented Hayes in that lawsuit.
Smith was a standout player. A aborigine of Queens, New York, played for Ohio Nation 2002 national championship squad and graduated in 2005 with a degree in criminology.
New Orleans preferred him in the first round of the 2004 draft, and he resulted the Saints with a career-high 13 bags in 2009. Smiths 67 and a half career bags rank fourth in Saints history. The New Orleans Saint Hall of Fame tells Smith had been unanimously voted into the hallway last month.
Smith also was at the center of the NFLs bounty probe in 2012, the past year he played in an NFL regular-season game. The league concludes that it and fellow defensive captain Jonathan Vilma helped operate a locker-room pool that paid money bonuses for heavy and even injurious hits.
Smith successfully appealed a four-game suspension, though coach Sean Payton was suspended the entire 2012 season.
A year earlier, Smith served a two-game suspension for using a weight-loss product that included a diuretic banned by the league for masking steroid use.
Off the field, Smith established a foundation to motivate, educate and provide opportunities for women and children.
The Smith family said in a statement Sunday that they are thankful for the outpouring of support but want privacy as they grieve.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells
Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells
Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells
Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells
Ex-Saints Player Will Smith Fatally Shot In Back And Side, Police Warrant Tells