Will Smith, a former defensive end for the New Orleans Saints who played on their Super Bowl championship team in 2009-10, was shot and killed in New Orleans late Saturday, the authorities said.
Jeffrey Rouse, the Orleans Parish coroner, confirmed in a statement overnight that Smith had died of “multiple gunshot wounds” after an exchange of words with another driver.
The New Orleans Police Department said early Sunday that a suspect in the shooting, Cardell Hayes, 28, had been arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
At a news conference Sunday, Michael Harrison, the police superintendent, said the shooting was an isolated episode but added: “It is certainly tragic at every level and on all sides. One life is over, and another life is ruined.”
The shooting occurred after a vehicle collision about 11:30 p.m. Smith was traveling in a Mercedes sport utility vehicle in the Lower Garden District, an affluent neighborhood, when he was rear-ended by an orange Hummer H2, the police said.
The collision was powerful enough to send Smith’s vehicle crashing into a third vehicle, a Chevrolet Impala whose occupants were part of Smith’s group, the police said.
Smith and the driver of the Hummer “exchanged words,” and Hayes pulled out a gun and shot Smith multiple times, the authorities said. Smith’s wife, Racquel, 33, was shot twice in the right leg, and was transported to a hospital.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 34.
The police said Hayes was taken into custody at the scene and that the weapon used in the shooting had been recovered. A passenger inside Hayes’ vehicle was questioned and released, the police said.
Janis Baehr, who was staying at a nearby bed-and-breakfast, said she heard the vehicle crash, followed by what she thought was about five gunshots.
Then, she said, she heard Racquel Smith scream: “Oh, God! Please, somebody help me! Help me!”
Baehr, 53, who was on vacation from Pensacola, Florida, said she hurried down to the street and found Racquel Smith sprawled on the pavement, hysterical. Baehr said she put her arm under Smith’s head, fed her ice chips and prayed.
Will Smith was slumped over the steering wheel, unmoving, Baehr said.
A statement from Smith’s family members expressed thanks for the support they had received and asked for privacy as they mourned “a devoted husband, father and friend.”
Players and coaches who crossed paths with Smith during his college and professional football career expressed grief as well as anger on social media.
In a statement on Sunday, the owner of the Saints, Tom Benson, and his wife, Gayle, said the killing would “leave a lasting scar
on our community forever.”
“Will was more than an exceptional football player,” the couple said. “He was a father, a husband, a son, a brother and teammate to so many and an inspiration to countless more.”
In an odd twist, Hayes appeared to have a connection to a man with whom Smith had socialized earlier on Saturday, a retired New Orleans police captain named William Ceravolo.
In 2005, Ceravolo, then a lieutenant, was present when Hayes’ father, Anthony, was shot and killed by New Orleans police officers, according to news reports at the time.
The authorities said officers opened fire on Anthony Hayes, who had a history of mental illness, after he argued with a pharmacy employee and then lunged at an officer with a knife.
Cardell Hayes sued the city over the killing, seeking $4 million in damages. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2011, said Ike Spears, the lawyer who argued his case. Spears said he no longer represented Hayes.
Harrison, the police superintendent, said at a news conference that investigators had not yet determined a motive in Smith’s killing and were exploring whether he and Hayes knew each other.
Harrison described Hayes’ lawsuit against the city as “interesting” but added that there was no information to indicate it played a role in the violence Saturday night.
Smith was born in New York and played college football at Ohio State. He was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2004 draft. He was named as a Pro Bowl starter in the 2006 season and later became a team captain.
In February 2010, he helped the Saints win their only Super Bowl, a victory over the Indianapolis Colts that electrified New Orleans. Smith’s career sack total, 67 1/2, ranks fourth highest in franchise history.
In 2012, Smith was suspended for four games for his involvement in the Saints’ bounty scandal, with accusations that players were offered money for hits that knocked opponents from games. The suspension was later vacated.
Smith suffered a knee injury in the 2013 preseason and was released by the Saints after the season. The New England Patriots signed him that offseason, but he was cut before the 2014 season began and never appeared in another game.
On Sunday, the Saints Hall of Fame said that its selection committee had voted unanimously in March to induct Smith. It had planned to announce the news in May.
Smith and his wife created a foundation, Where There’s a Will There’s a Way, to help at-risk young people in Utica, New York, where he went to high school.
The Saints said Smith had three children, William, Wynter and Lisa.
Smith posted a photograph of his family in a 2014 Twitter post that promoted an initiative to help black and Latino youth.
on our community forever.”
“Will was more than an exceptional football player,” the couple said. “He was a father, a husband, a son, a brother and teammate to so many and an inspiration to countless more.”
In an odd twist, Hayes appeared to have a connection to a man with whom Smith had socialized earlier on Saturday, a retired New Orleans police captain named William Ceravolo.
In 2005, Ceravolo, then a lieutenant, was present when Hayes’ father, Anthony, was shot and killed by New Orleans police officers, according to news reports at the time.
The authorities said officers opened fire on Anthony Hayes, who had a history of mental illness, after he argued with a pharmacy employee and then lunged at an officer with a knife.
Cardell Hayes sued the city over the killing, seeking $4 million in damages. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2011, said Ike Spears, the lawyer who argued his case. Spears said he no longer represented Hayes.
Harrison, the police superintendent, said at a news conference that investigators had not yet determined a motive in Smith’s killing and were exploring whether he and Hayes knew each other.
Harrison described Hayes’ lawsuit against the city as “interesting” but added that there was no information to indicate it played a role in the violence Saturday night.
Smith was born in New York and played college football at Ohio State. He was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2004 draft. He was named as a Pro Bowl starter in the 2006 season and later became a team captain.
In February 2010, he helped the Saints win their only Super Bowl, a victory over the Indianapolis Colts that electrified New Orleans. Smith’s career sack total, 67 1/2, ranks fourth highest in franchise history.
In 2012, Smith was suspended for four games for his involvement in the Saints’ bounty scandal, with accusations that players were offered money for hits that knocked opponents from games. The suspension was later vacated.
Smith suffered a knee injury in the 2013 preseason and was released by the Saints after the season. The New England Patriots signed him that offseason, but he was cut before the 2014 season began and never appeared in another game.
On Sunday, the Saints Hall of Fame said that its selection committee had voted unanimously in March to induct Smith. It had planned to announce the news in May.
Smith and his wife created a foundation, Where There’s a Will There’s a Way, to help at-risk young people in Utica, New York, where he went to high school.
The Saints said Smith had three children, William, Wynter and Lisa.
Smith posted a photograph of his family in a 2014 Twitter post that promoted an initiative to help black and Latino youth.
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