This Sunday, April 10, 2016 photo provided by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office shows Cardell Hayes. Police say Hayes has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith, who was shot and killed Saturday night. (Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on the shooting death of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith (all times local):
3:55 p.m.
Legal experts say an autopsy showing New Orleans football star Will Smith was shot eight times is powerful evidence as prosecutors build a case against Smith's alleged killer.
But they also foresee credible self-defense arguments being made in the case of suspect Cardell Hayes. Hayes was jailed after Smith was shot to death Saturday night during a confrontation following an automobile crash.
Hayes' lawyer has said Smith had a gun Saturday night when he was shot during a confrontation after his sport utility vehicle was rear-ended. A lawyer for Smith's family says Smith was not brandishing or carrying a gun.
Police say a loaded, unfired gun was found in Smith's vehicle.
Hayes is jailed on a charge second-degree murder.
___
8 a.m.
A minister and a former coach describe the man accused of gunning down former Saints player Will Smith as a soft-spoken man who always calls older women "ma'am" and was a team leader in high school.
Minister Sha'Teek Nobles and Lee Green, who coached Cardell Hayes from 2001 to 2005, take issue with Arizona Cardinals' safety Tyrann Mathieu's tweeted description of Hayes as "a hating ... coward."
Hayes is in jail, accused of firing eight bullets along the left side of Smith's back.
Attorney Peter Thomson says Smith's wife, Racquel, was shot in both legs, and Hayes stood over them afterward, yelling. He says Smith had driven his SUV around a Hummer that had stopped abruptly, and the Hummer than rammed their Mercedes hard enough to shatter the back windshield.
FILE - In this Dec. 19, 2009, file photo, New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith sits on the bench during the NFL football game in New Orleans. An attorney for the family of Smith said Wednesday, April 13, 2016, that the former Saints star did not brandish a gun or have it on him before he was shot to death last weekend. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2012, file photo, New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith stretches before a preseason NFL football game in New Orleans. An attorney for the family of Smith said Wednesday, April 13, 2016, that the former Saints star did not brandish a gun or have it on him before he was shot to death last weekend. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File)
The Associated Press
Peter Thomson, attorney for the family of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith, who was shot and killed after a traffic accident last Saturday, speaks to reporters at University Medical Center in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Peter Thomson, attorney for the family of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith, who was shot and killed after a traffic accident last Saturday, makes a hand gesture of a gun as he describes the shooter's actions, while speaking to reporters at University Medical Center in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
Flowers, candles and other items left by fans and well-wishers are seen at a makeshift memorial in New Orleans, Tuesday, April 12, 2016, near the spot where former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed, and his wife wounded by gunfire, after a traffic accident on April 9. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press