NEW ORLEANS, LA – New Orleans police are still investigating the incidents leading up to Will Smith’s death Saturday night, when the former NFL star was gunned down following a traffic accident.
Those events where unknown to police until what appears to be now, with surveillance video cameras capturing what exactly happened in the moment before gunshots rang out on Magazine Street.
FOX 8 New Orleans obtained those videos, while also learning that Smith and his wife, Racquel, dined at a restaurant on Magazine Street and left just before 11:30 Saturday night. According to the station, less than 10 minutes after he left the restaurant, police say Smith encountered his accused killer, Cardelle Hayes. From the beginning, Hayes’ acting attorney, John Fuller, claimed it’s too early to jump to conclusions.
Surveillance video from the cameras of three different businesses shows Hayes’ H3 Hummer and Smith’s Mercedes G-Wagon SUV driving along Magazine Street. Just prior to 11:30pm, the two vehicles passed the intersection of Magazine and Washington, continuing down to Jackson Avenue down to St. Andrew. There, another camera captures the Hummer stopping abruptly after getting bumped from behind by a Mercedes SUV. The two stop for a brief moment, and then the Hummer appears to try to pull over to the side of the road. Instead of stopping, Smith swerved into the opposite lane of traffic, speeding off. The Hummer takes off after the SUV in the direction of Sophie Wright and Felicity Street, which is a block and a half away.
At this moment, the altercation ensued, with talk about firearms being possessed catalyzed the moment where Smith and his wife were shot.
Police will surely look into these videos in-depth and cross compare stamens of those involved with what appears to be the the moments leading up to the death of Will Smith.
