Former NFL defensive lineman Will Smith may have been involved in a hit-and-run minutes before he was shot and killed Saturday night.
Surveillance footage that was obtained by WVUE in New Orleans shows a Mercedes SUV apparently bumping into a Hummer at a red light. Police say those vehicles match the descriptions of the vehicles that were being driven by Smith and the man accused of murdering him.
The attorney for Cardale Hayes, the man accused of killing Smith and murdering Smith’s wife, says his client was involved in a hit-and-run shortly before Smith was shot.
“Prior to the actions that lead to Mr. Smith’s death, my client was involved in a hit and run,” John Fuller said. “Someone hit him and failed to pull over. My client trailed behind this person in an effort to get their license plate number. My client also called 911.”
Fuller says Hayes is not guilty and that he “felt threatened.” He also claims the prescence of a second gun will help exonerate his client.
After the driver of the Mercedes SUV appeared to tap the bumper of the Hummer, the driver of the Hummer attempted to pull over. The Mercedes then sped off and was pursued by the Hummer. Here is the surveillance footage:
The two vehicles were headed in the direction of where Smith was killed and his wife was shot in the leg. WVUE legal analyst Joe Raspanti said he does not believe what happened anything more than seconds before the shooting will be admissible evidence.
“What matters is those few seconds before the gunshots went off and a few other things, but what happened 20 minutes ago I don’t think is even admissible, and I don’t think it’s relevant,” Raspanti said.
Because of who Smith supposedly had dinner with the night he was killed, there has been some speculation that the murder was not random. There is clearly still a lot of evidence that investigators need to comb through.
