|
 Investigators were trying to determine whether the shooting, which
also wounded Smith's wife, was a case of road rage or whether there
was some other motive, police said.
The suspect, Cardell Hayes, 28, was arrested and charged with
second-degree murder, the New Orleans Police Department said in a
Twitter message.
"Our investigation continues as to the motive of this shooting and
whether or not Smith and Hayes knew each other prior to this
incident," Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said during a news
conference on Sunday.
A man with the same name as Hayes sued the city of New Orleans over
the police shooting of his mentally ill father in 2005, winning a
settlement six years later.
Smith had dined on Saturday night with William Ceravolo, one of the
police officers named in the federal lawsuit, police said. Whether
that was a factor in the shooting was unclear.
 Smith, who was one of the National Football League's top defensive
ends before his retirement in 2014, was traveling in a Mercedes in
the city's Lower Garden District shortly before 11:30 p.m. CDT (0430
GMT) on Saturday when his car was rear-ended by a Hummer.
Smith, 34, exchanged words with the driver of the Hummer, who took
out a handgun and shot him several times, New Orleans Police
Department spokesman Juan Barnes said in a statement.
Smith was drafted by the Saints in 2004 after playing college
football with Ohio State. The 6-foot, 3-inch (191-cm) lineman played
a decade with the Saints before he was injured in 2013 and his
contract was terminated in 2014.
"This is such a tragic loss of life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
said in a statement.
On the field, Smith was known as a hard-nosed enforcer who refused
to bow to opponents. Off the field, he started the Where There's a
Will There's a Way Foundation to provide opportunities for women and
youth, and was involved in other community initiatives, according to
local media.
Saints fans and current and past players took to social media to
mourn the death of the father of three children.
"Tragedy! Doesn't even describe the terrible news of the Nola legend
Will Smith! Praying for the Smith family! Rest in Love Will!"
tweeted Saints' offensive tackle Terron Armstead.
[to top of second column] |
"In our community he was an important contributor to numerous
charitable causes to benefit those in need," Saints General Manager
Mickey Loomis said in a statement.
Smith's career was not without controversy. He was suspended in 2011
for two games for using a diuretic, which can mask steroids. He was
also initially suspended for four games for his involvement in a New
Orleans Saints' bounty scheme that paid players for hurting
opponents. That suspension was later overturned on appeal to the
NFL.
During Saturday night's incident, Smith's wife Racquel was shot in
the leg and taken to the hospital, the police said.
The shooting came during a New Orleans food and music event, the
French Quarter Festival, which Smith attended with his wife. Hours
before he was killed, Smith posted a photo of himself and his wife
on Instagram, saying "Having a blast at the #fqf2016."
The shooting occurred in a neighborhood along the Mississippi River,
adjacent to the French Quarter, known for art galleries,
restaurants, bars and historic buildings.
Police said the shooter stayed on the scene after the incident and
that they recovered the weapon used.
Hayes, 28, has a previous criminal conviction, according to New
Orleans Parish Criminal Court online records. He pleaded guilty in
2014 to illegal carrying of a weapon and possession of drug
paraphernalia, both related to a 2010 arrest, and received fines and
suspended jail sentences.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud, Fiona Ortiz and Brendan O'Brien;
Editing by Alan Crosby, Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
