Warrant: Ex-Saints player Will Smith was shot in back, torso

Warrant: Ex-Saints player Will Smith was shot in back, torso

Former New Orleans Saints amateur Will Smith was dead in a case of road-rage, by a Humvee-driving man who rear-ended his Mercedes and again attempt him in the aback and side, according to a badge accreditation apprehend in court.

Cardell Hayes, 28, was ordered captivated on $1 actor band Sunday night afterwards badge arrested him on a allegation of second-degree murder.

Smith, 34, was admired by admirers for allowance the Saints win the 2009 Super Bowl, and for absolute in the association with his wife, Racquel, and their three accouchement as New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina. He had been adequate a artery anniversary Saturday, announcement a photo of himself and his wife on Twitter and Instagram with the caption: "Having a bang at the (hash)fqf2016 (at) French Quarter Fest."

At about 11:30 Saturday night in the flush Lower Garden District, Hayes' Humvee H2 rear-ended Smith's Mercedes G63, blame it into a Chevrolet Impala active by two of Smith's acquaintances. Hayes and Smith argued, and Hayes attempt both Smith and Smith's wife, Racquel, badge said. She was taken to a hospital with a leg wound.

The blow that badge said affected off the baleful battle was the additional aural moments, aegis advocate John Fuller explained alfresco the courthouse. He said Hayes ran into the aback of Smith's Mercedes while afterward a arrest disciplinarian who had rear-ended his Humvee and sped off. Fuller wouldn't say whether Hayes articular the Mercedes as the car that had rear-ended him.

Hayes is not accusable of murder, and the adventure is added circuitous than the badge account, Fuller said. He said Hayes alleged 911 afterwards he was hit, and abiding a attestant who was about to leave to abide and allocution to police.

Police agent Tyler Gamble told The Associated Press in an email Sunday that he had no absolute advice about the attestant or the 911 call.

Fuller asked for low band Sunday night, acquainted that Hayes had waited for police, owns a towing business and is adopting his 5-year-old son.

Magistrate Brigid Collins said she understood, but according to the warrant, "I've aswell got a admirer who was attempt in the back."

Prosecutors accept 60 canicule to adjudge whether to accompany the second-degree annihilation allegation adjoin Hayes, who had a audition appointed Monday to acquaint the magistrate's cloister of his abiding attorney. Fuller, who represented him Sunday, said anyone abroad from his law close will represent Hayes because he's been appointed as a acting adjudicator starting May 2.

Hayes and Smith didn't apperceive anniversary other, Fuller said, but like the NFL star, Hayes played defense, aggressive endure year with the semipro Kings. The aggregation offered condolences to Smith's ancestors and friends, and accepted him as an archetype of the city's "overwhelming affection and generosity."

"We are abashed and afflicted by this absurd tragedy. The Crescent City Kings do not accredit or disregard abandon in any shape, form, or fashion," the team's Facebook column said.

Hayes is big, but mild, Fuller said Sunday: "He's in fact a lot nicer than he appears. He's soft-spoken, calmly approachable."

Online cloister annal appearance Hayes pleaded accusable in 2014 to possessing an actionable weapon and biologic paraphernalia.

The gun Hayes agitated Saturday was legal, Fuller said, acquainted that badge didn't allege him of any weapons charge. Gamble said the gun hadn't been appear stolen, but archetype its absolute history takes added time.

Hayes sued the New Orleans Badge Department and six admiral afterwards badge dead his ancestor in 2005. Badge acclimatized the accusation in 2011. The adjustment is confidential, said advocate Ike Spears, who represented Hayes in that lawsuit.

Smith was a standout player. A built-in of Queens, New York, played for Ohio State's 2002 civic championship aggregation and accelerating in 2005 with a amount in criminology.

New Orleans chose him in the aboriginal annular of the 2004 draft, and he led the Saints with a career-high 13 sacks in 2009. Smith's 67 career sacks rank fourth in Saints history. The New Orleans Saints Anteroom of Fame says Smith had been absolutely voted into the anteroom endure month.

Smith aswell was at the centermost of the NFL's compensation delving in 2012, the endure year he played in an NFL approved division game. The alliance assured that he and adolescent arresting captain Jonathan Vilma helped run a locker-room basin that paid banknote bonuses for abundant and even abusive hits.

Smith auspiciously appealed a four-game suspension, admitting drillmaster Sean Payton was abeyant the absolute 2012 season.

A year earlier, Smith served a two-game abeyance for application a weight-loss artefact that included a diuretic banned by the alliance for appearance steroid use.

Off the field, Smith accustomed a foundation "to motivate, brainwash and accommodate opportunities for women and children."

The Smith ancestors said in a account Sunday that they are beholden for the access of abutment but wish aloofness as they grieve.

Associated Press biographer Rebecca Santana in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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