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Will Smith, Former New Orleans Saints DE, Fatally Shot By Cardell Hayes: New Details Emerge

By Kim McLendon
Published on: 01:10 PST, Apr 11, 2016

Will Smith, former defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, was shot and killed Saturday night following a traffic accident at the intersection of Sophie Wright and Felicity Street in New Orleans. His wife, Racquel, was also shot in the leg and treated at a local hospital. The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m., according to the Times-Picayune.

Cardell Hayes, the alleged shooter, waited for police to arrive and made no attempts to flee the scene. He is accused of second degree murder after allegedly firing six shots into Smith’s upper body resulting in his death. Cardell is being held under a $1 million bond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3HzQR1_vlg

Will Smith, age 34, died at the scene with multiple bullet wounds to his back and side, according to police reports. Only one hour before, Will had posted photos on Twitter as he attended the French Quarter festival with his wife and friends. One photo shows Will with another New Orleans Saints player, Pierre Thomas, and former police officer Billy Ceravolo. Strangely, Billy Ceravolo had been involved in the death of Cardell Hayes’ father, Anthony Hayes. Anthony was killed by police in 2005 after becoming mentally unstable and wielding a knife. In 2011, Hayes allegedly received a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement from New Orleans PD. Billy Ceravolo was one of the officers named in the case, according to the Canal Street Chronicles.

Cardell Hayes alleges that he was the victim of a hit and run accident earlier that night, and had been following the car who hit his to get a license plate number. It was shortly after that, when Hayes’ orange Hummer H2 struck the back of Smith’s Mercedes G63 SUV, pushing it into the Impala in front it. Two of Smith’s friends were in the Impala. Racquel and Will were riding together, and Hayes had a male passenger. Police seized all three vehicles in order to search them thoroughly, according to the Advocate.

Will Smith New Orleans Saints #91 (Photo by Streeter Lecka/ Getty Images)
Will Smith New Orleans Saints #91 [Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]
Cardell Hayes’ attorney, John Fuller, alleges that Cardell was not the aggressor in the incident and that his client had never met and did not know Smith prior to the car accident. He also alleges that there was no connection between the shooting of Will Smith and the police shooting of Anthony Hayes. There were several witnesses to the fender bender and the shooting, at least one of which saw Smith and Cardell arguing and then the shooting. NBC Sports Pro Football Talk reports Fuller could be laying the groundwork for a self defense case. They quote attorney John Fuller, explaining that reports on news outlets were incorrect.

“The reports that we’ve heard so far that were on television and various news outlets were not consistent with everything that happened, and I can tell you that my client was not the aggressor in terms of the behavior that happened after the accident.”

Will Smith, according to early reports, was found with bullet wounds in his back, and he was half in and half out of his SUV.

“My client is of the opinion that toxicology should be conducted of all the parties that were involved in this, and that will shed some light on the behavior of some of the participants… Well, I know that there were parties that were intoxicated or under the influence of some type of mind-altering substance, based on appearances. We don’t know that for sure, but we have a strong suspicion that that was the case.”

Will Smith leaves behind a wife and three young children, as well as many former teammates, friends, and fans. He will be missed, according to many of his former teammates who tweeted about their grief, calling the shooting senseless.

New Orleans Saints Will Smith
Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints [Photo by NFL/Getty Images]
Cardell Hayes, ironically, also has a 5-year-old son and was also a football player. In high school, he showed great potential. In 2004, the year before his father’s death, Hayes ranked among the state’s top prep football players, as reported by the Canal St. Chronicles. The New York Daily News reports he played football locally for the Crescent City Kings as recently as 2015. There is no record found so far that he made it to college, or ever played college or professional football. Hayes owns half interest in a towing company, according to the Advocate.

Will Smith’s life has ended, and Cardell Hayes’ Life is ruined, according to NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison, who summarized the tragedy succinctly.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

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