Will Smith's lawyer says 'rageful' shooter shot Smith's wife first
Will Smith's lawyer held a media conference on Wednesday in New Orleans because he wanted to refute some of the claims being made by the side of Cardell Hayes, who is accused of shooting and killing the former New Orleans Saints defensive end.
Peter Thomson, Smith's lawyer, said the side being presented by Hayes' lawyer and the passenger in his car are "lies and factual distortions."
Hayes' lawyer John Fuller has said his client was not the aggressor in an incident that led to Smith's death. The lawyer for Kevin Oneale, who said he was the passenger in Hayes' Hummer H2 on Saturday night when Smith was shot and killed, said that it was a "justifiable homicide" and Hayes may have saved both their lives.
Thomson's version of events painted a much different picture. Thomson said Smith's wife Racquel was shot first, with two shots to her legs. Thomson said she was shot in both legs, and she suffered a fractured femur in her right leg. Thomson said Hayes then shot Smith six to eight times in the back. The coroner's report was released after Thomson's news conference and it showed Smith was shot eight times, seven times in the back and once in the left side of his chest according to the Associated Press.
Thomson's news conference was covered by Ken Daley of NOLA.com, and through tweets from Garland Gillen of WVUE-TV and Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times Picayune.
"I can't speculate if it's road rage. The man was rageful; he was enraged," Thomson said, according to Woodbery.
Thomson said Smith's weapon was in a compartment in the vehicle and was never taken out.
According to Thomson's version of events, Smith and his wife were worried about their safety when a Hummer suddenly braked in front of them. The Smiths saw no damage to either vehicle (a video released this week showed that a car matching the description of Smith's Mercedes SUV might have hit a car matching the description of Hayes' Hummer), so Smith drove off. The Hummer followed them, and later rear-ended Smith's car so hard that the back windshield shattered, Thomson said.
Smith got out of his car, exchanged words with Hayes, and Racquel Smith got out of the car to break up the argument, according to Thomson. Thomson said Smith wanted to find out who was following him and attacking him, and Hayes was "enraged, yelling and cursing," Woodbery reported.
Hayes followed Smith and his wife back to Smith's car, Thomson said, and then shots were fired. Thomson said Hayes stood and yelled over Smith's body, Gillen reported.
"The killer showed no remorse whatsoever," Thomson said, according to Woodbery.
Thomson said Smith did not know the shooter. Hayes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
