*The aftermath of the fatal shooting of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith has taken another turn as a fully loaded 9mm handgun was recovered from the athlete’s car after he was shot.
On Tuesday afternoon (April 12), police announced that they discovered the gun after utilizing a search warrant to search Smith’s Mercedes, according to TMZ Sports.
The recovery of the gun comes as a plus for Smith’s alleged killer Cardell Hayes as his defense claims he felt threatened by Smith at the time of the shooting. According to at least one witness, Smith said he was going to get his gun during a heated argument with Hayes after their car accident. At that point, Hayes pulled out his weapon and opened fire at Smith, killing him. .
At this time, authorities say they’re still investigating what happened while interviewing witnesses that include Smith’s wife and two additional passengers in the NFL player’s car.
In further Will Smith news, a new video has surfaced that shows Smith’s car rear-ending Hayes’ Hummer and aggressively driving off moments before Hayes fatally shot Smith.
The video, which was obtained by New Orleans’ Fox 8 TV, captures Smith’s Mercedes hitting a red Hummer, which appears to be the one driven by Hayes. Rather than pull over to exchange information with Hayes, Smith peels into the opposite lane of traffic and speeds off.
From there, the Hummer takes off after the Mercedes.
Police reveal that Hayes later rear-ended Smith’s car before fatally shooting the ex-NFL star during a heated exchange a little more than a block away.
Hayes, 28, is being held on $1 million bond after police arrested him on a charge of second-degree murder. Police plan to add a charge accusing Hayes of shooting Smith’s wife, spokesman Tyler Gamble said.
To see the video of Smith rear-ending Hayes with his car, check out the video below:
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!