NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Wednesday evening, the attorney who is representing Cardell Hayes addressed many of the conflicting points in the investigation into former Saints player Will Smith’s shooting death.
One of the first questions attorney John Fuller answered focused on a gun that was found by police in Smith’s Mercedes SUV after the shooting. An attorney for the Smith family says that Smith had a license to conceal carry the gun for protection and that Smith never brandished the gun during his confrontation Saturday night with Hayes.
Fuller reminded reporters that, while police announced the discovery of the gun on Tuesday after a search warrant was executed on Smith’s Mercedes, he was talking about it on Sunday.
“And one of the things that I suggested and I intimated based on information that I had was that there was a gun in Mr. Smith’s car. Now let me ask you this. How would my client know to tell me that if somebody didn’t brandish that firearm?” Fuller asked.
Fuller did not go into detail on what words were exchanged between Smith and Hayes that led up to the shooting. But he insisted that Hayes was not the aggressor.
Fuller also addressed the initial police announcement that one gun was recovered at the scene followed by the later announcement that three guns were found. He hinted at an assertion that there was some inappropriate activity perhaps involving a former NOPD officer.
According to reports, Smith was dining with friends earlier in the evening on the night he was shot and killed, and one of those friends is a retired NOPD officer.
While Fuller did not go into detail about the claim, he did say he has a witness who will substantiate his claim in court.
“One of my witnesses witnessed some very untoward activity on that night. I will not reveal her name. I will not reveal specifics as to what she told me she saw,” Fuller said.
To see the entire Fuller news conference, click on the video button above.
