 |
| Photo: USA Today |
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
The Times Picayune in New Orleans is reporting that 28-year-old Cardell Hayes was booked and charged with second degree murder at Orleans Parish Prison Sunday morning, for the shooting death of former New Orleans Saint Will Smith Saturday night. According to records, Hayes has one prior arrest for possession of an illegal weapon, drugs, and drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and didn't serve any jail time.
According to a report from NBC Sports' Michael David Smith, Hayes was a well known high school football player in the Crescent City, and one of the top prospects in the state during his senior season at Warren Easton High School. It is unknown what happened to his football career after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.
New Orleans native and current Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, who knew of Hayes in high school, took to social media Sunday to scold the alleged killer, tweeting:
"I know that dude, he been a hating ass coward.... Never knew he'd grow up to be a killer tho....May you get what you deserved coward."
 |
| Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu unleashed his scorn at Cardell Hayes via Twitter on Sunday. |
However, Hayes' lawyer, John Fuller, told reporters that his client was, "not the aggressor,"and implied that it was "possible" somebody else involved had a gun.
A report from Tim Stelloh at NBC News quotes fuller as saying, "Hayes began following the car to read the license plate," and that another vehicle, which would be the fourth involved, rear-ended his Hummer before the shooting took place.
According to Fuller, his client called 911, and waited at the scene for police to respond, and added:
While Hayes doesn't appear to be disputing his role in Saturday's tragic incident, a story in the New Orleans Advocate has thrown a wrench into the notion that this was a simple case of road rage gone bad.
A report from Tim Stelloh at NBC News quotes fuller as saying, "Hayes began following the car to read the license plate," and that another vehicle, which would be the fourth involved, rear-ended his Hummer before the shooting took place.
According to Fuller, his client called 911, and waited at the scene for police to respond, and added:
"His actions are consistent with complying with law enforcement. Tell me if that;s consistent with someone who is looking for blood."Citing witnesses he spoke with, Fuller also said, "The story that's real is different than what's [being] reported."
 |
| Cardell Hayes, 28, has been charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of former-Saint Will Smith. (Photo: NBC News) |
The Advocates' Ramon Antonio Vargas and John Simerman are reporting that just before being gunned down on Saturday, Smith had dinner with his former teammate, Pierre Thomas, and a retired New Orleans police officer who was once named in lawsuit brought against the city by Hayes.
According to the report, Hayes' mentally ill father, Anthony, was shot and killed by New Orleans Police in 2005, after getting into an argument at a pharmacy, and wielding a knife when police responded. The younger Hayes sued the city, and later settled for a "large" sum of money, according to his attorney at the time, Ike Spears. One of the police officers named in Hayes' lawsuit was Billy Ceravolo, who The Advocate confirms was a friend of Smith's, and dined with him before he was murdered at around 11:30 P.M. on Saturday. According to USA Today, police Chief Michael Harrison also confirmed that Smith had dinner with a former cop before the shooting.
According to The Advocate, Ceravolo retired from the NOPD in 2013, and was unaware that he had been named in Hayes' lawsuit.
It looks as though there's more to this story than meets the eye, and it's likely more details will be emerging in the coming days. As USA Today reported, police are still investigating a motive behind the shooting, so there's no point in speculating until we know more.
