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Source: NOPD investigating claims Will Smith may have fired first
Did Will Smith pull out his gun and fire it before he was killed?
Cops are looking very seriously now into some witness reports and allegations that the former Saints player retrieved a gun from his car before he was shot and killed in a confrontation with another driver.
A source close to the investigation tells WWL First News that detectives are working to determine definitively if allegations are true that Smith not only got his gun out of his car, but fired at least one shot.
The defense attorney for Cardell Hayes has suggested that his client did not shoot Smith's wife, Racquel. He indicated that ballistics testing would prove that the wounds to her legs were not from his client's bullets.
The source tells WWL First News that detectives are investigating if it was actually Smith who accidentally shot his wife as she intervened to try and stop the confrontation.
Hayes admits, through his lawyer, that he shot Will Smith multiple times - killing him. Attorney John Fuller says it was self-defense.
Police say Smith was partially in his SUV when he was shot seven times in the back and once in the side.
One of the men Smith had been eating with just before his killing, Reserve Police Officer Billy Ceravolo, has now hired a lawyer.
That comes amid allegations he helped put Smith's gun back in the car after the shooting. Investigators want to know if he helped cover up the truth. The retired NOPD captain has since been stripped of his reserve status with the department.
Federal investigators are reportedly also interested in the allegations of a cover up.
The Smith family lawyer has insisted that at no time during the confrontation did Will Smith ever brandish or carry a firearm on his person. Attorney Peter Thomson said it was Hayes who shot Racquel Smith before he shot Will Smith.
NOPD said in a news release that Smith did have a gun in his car, but no bullet casings were found and no ballistic evidence was recovered to show that his weapon was fired during the incident.
Now the source tells WWL First News that investigators are examining allegations that evidence of the gun having been fired may have been hidden.
Surveillance video shows Ceravolo at the crime scene, with what appears to be a badge around his neck, after Smith was killed.
The source could not provide specific evidence to suggest where the investigation would lead, but did make it clear to WWL First News that detectives were actively investigating the claims to determine if they were true.
Officially the NOPD says, “This is an on-going criminal investigation. Following investigative protocol for all homicide investigations, detectives will continue to gather evidence and build a case to provide for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office to review and determine whether to pursue prosecution. As in every case, the department will not make further evidence learned available to the public prior to providing the findings to the DA."
After the initial investigation, police arrested Hayes on a charge of second degree murder.
Source: NOPD investigating claims Will Smith may have fired first
Did Will Smith pull out his gun and fire it before he was killed?
Cops are looking very seriously now into some witness reports and allegations that the former Saints player retrieved a gun from his car before he was shot and killed in a confrontation with another driver.
A source close to the investigation tells WWL First News that detectives are working to determine definitively if allegations are true that Smith not only got his gun out of his car, but fired at least one shot.
The defense attorney for Cardell Hayes has suggested that his client did not shoot Smith's wife, Racquel. He indicated that ballistics testing would prove that the wounds to her legs were not from his client's bullets.
The source tells WWL First News that detectives are investigating if it was actually Smith who accidentally shot his wife as she intervened to try and stop the confrontation.
Hayes admits, through his lawyer, that he shot Will Smith multiple times - killing him. Attorney John Fuller says it was self-defense.
Police say Smith was partially in his SUV when he was shot seven times in the back and once in the side.
One of the men Smith had been eating with just before his killing, Reserve Police Officer Billy Ceravolo, has now hired a lawyer.
That comes amid allegations he helped put Smith's gun back in the car after the shooting. Investigators want to know if he helped cover up the truth. The retired NOPD captain has since been stripped of his reserve status with the department.
Federal investigators are reportedly also interested in the allegations of a cover up.
The Smith family lawyer has insisted that at no time during the confrontation did Will Smith ever brandish or carry a firearm on his person. Attorney Peter Thomson said it was Hayes who shot Racquel Smith before he shot Will Smith.
NOPD said in a news release that Smith did have a gun in his car, but no bullet casings were found and no ballistic evidence was recovered to show that his weapon was fired during the incident.
Now the source tells WWL First News that investigators are examining allegations that evidence of the gun having been fired may have been hidden.
Surveillance video shows Ceravolo at the crime scene, with what appears to be a badge around his neck, after Smith was killed.
The source could not provide specific evidence to suggest where the investigation would lead, but did make it clear to WWL First News that detectives were actively investigating the claims to determine if they were true.
Officially the NOPD says, “This is an on-going criminal investigation. Following investigative protocol for all homicide investigations, detectives will continue to gather evidence and build a case to provide for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office to review and determine whether to pursue prosecution. As in every case, the department will not make further evidence learned available to the public prior to providing the findings to the DA."
After the initial investigation, police arrested Hayes on a charge of second degree murder.
