NEW ORLEANS — New surveillance footage suggests former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident before he was fatally shot.
Suspect Cardell Hayes was charged with second degree murder after Smith died of multiple gunshots in New Orleans on Saturday night. Smith's wife Racquel is recovering in the hospital after she was shot twice in the leg.
However, it remains unclear how many weapons were at the scene of the shooting or if Hayes was the victim of a hit-and-run prior to crashing into the back of Smith's car.
A car matching the description of Smith's Mercedes G-63 SUV can be seen rear-ending an orange Hummer matching the description of Hayes' vehicle minutes before the shooting, footage obtained by Fox affiliate WVUE shows.
Earlier on Saturday, Smith posted a selfie to Instagram at 7:44 p.m. stating that he and his wife were "having a blast" at the French Quarter Fest in New Orleans, CNN reported.
The Smiths dined with friends at Sake Cafe on Magazine Street from around 9:30 p.m. before leaving the sushi restaurant at 11:15 p.m.
The unverified surveillance footage appears to show Smith's Mercedes SUV bumping into the Hummer from behind at 11:22 p.m. The footage shows that a vehicle matching the description of Smith's didn't stop and was pursued by the Hummer.
At some point before 11:29 p.m, an orange Hummer driven by Hayes rear-ended Smith's vehicle. Smith's SUV then crashed into a Gray Impala driven by a friend.
According to police, Hayes and Smith "exchanged words" after the crash, before Hayes shot Smith dead, CNN reported.
Acting attorney for Hayes John Fuller said his client was chasing a vehicle that hit him and sped off before he crashed into Smith, the New Orleans Advocate reported.
By 11:35 p.m, Hayes was arrested at the scene of the shooting, near the intersection of Felicity Street and Sophie Wright Place in the city's Lower Garden district, CNN reported.
Police recovered one gun at the scene, according to CNN.
Fuller said he was investigating a video in which a possible witness claimed there could have been a second gun at the scene, according to the Times-Picayune.
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