On April 9, 2016, a traffic collision in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District between a Mercedes SUV driven by 34-year-old former Saints defensive end Will Smith and a Hummer driven by 28-year-old Cardell Hayes escalated into a fatal shooting. After a verbal confrontation, Hayes produced a handgun and shot Smith multiple times; Smith was pronounced dead at the scene with eight gunshot wounds, seven to his back. Smith’s wife, Racquel, was shot in the legs and survived.

Hayes remained at the scene and was arrested. He was charged with second-degree murder and said he acted in self-defense, claiming he believed Smith was reaching for a gun; an autopsy showed Smith had a high blood-alcohol level, and a loaded handgun was found in Smith’s car though there was no evidence it had been fired. A jury convicted Hayes of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter in December 2016 and sentenced him to 25 years; that conviction was later overturned on constitutional grounds. A new trial in January 2024 again resulted in a manslaughter conviction and a 25-year sentence, adjusted afterward to account for time already served.

Are there details from the night of April 9, 2016, or from either trial that readers can add?