In a series of videos released by Fox8 New Orleans, shortly before the confrontation between the Smiths and Hayes, Smith’s Mercedes SUV may have tapped into the rear bumper of Hayes’ Hummer at a nearby intersection.
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Finally, at about a minute and a half into the surveillance video, you can see what appears to be Smith’s Mercedes bump into a red Hummer, presumably the vehicle of the shooter.
The video footage shows a Mercedes SUV trailing a Hummer H2 late Saturday night.
The surveillance video from Magazine Street, where the Smiths had eaten dinner at a Japanese restaurant earlier Saturday night – throws another twist into the beloved athlete’s shocking death.
Reports state that Smith had dined just hours before the crash with a police officer who had once been sued by Hayes, whose father was shot and killed by police in 2005.
Hayes’ attorney, John Fuller, said Monday that his client was involved in a hit-and-run before Smith’s death. Police say Hayes has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of former New Orleans Saints defen… Based on the interview and evidence gathered from the scene, detectives arrested Hayes and booked him with Second Degree Murder. “My client trailed behind this person in an effort to get this license plate number”. Fuller did not say who he believed had the second gun or whether he thought it had been fired. His bond was set at $1 million. He also declined to say whether his client plans to claim self-defense.
Paramedics transport Racquel Smith to a New Orleans hospital.
The Cardinals defensive back said he knew the person (Cardell Hayes) who is accused of killing Smith and called him a “coward”.
One of Hayes attorneys, Jay Daniels, told The Advocate that the video backs up the version of events his client has given him, calling it “consistent with the information that we have”. Smith died with his door open, slumped over the driver’s seat.
Police said the two men then angrily confronted each other shortly before midnight Saturday. Smith’s former coach, Sean Payton, spoke out Monday on the culture of gun violence in New Orleans, saying he did not understand why everyone felt that they needed to carry a weapon. “If the law is applied fairly in this case, I think the results are going to surprise a lot of folks”.
“And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Whoa, what do you guys want from me?’ I’m only here to speak the truth”.
“The last few days have been a whirlwind and I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing”, he wrote on Facebook.
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It was a tragic incident the rocked both the National Football League and the sports world in New Orleans.
