NFL News 2016: Coroner Report Reveals New Orleans Saints' Will Smith Was 'Shot in the Back Seven Times'
The coroner's report on the killing of New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith revealed the gruesome details of the incident.
Cardell Hayes gunned down the 34-year old Smith, after the former rear-ended the latter's vehicle on Saturday night in New Orleans. Witnesses claim that a heated verbal argument took place before Hayes drew a handgun and opened fire.
Smith was pronounced dead on the scene, while his wife Racquel sustained non-life threatening wounds.
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According to a report by BBC, Racquel actually tried to plead with Hayes, telling him to go back to his car, and that they have children. Hayes, however, ignored Mrs. Smith's pleas.
In a report by ESPN, coroner Jeffrey Rouse released the preliminary autopsy reports done on Smith's body. According to the tests, Smith was shot a total of eight times: seven times in the back, and once in the chest.
"These bullet tracks had entrance into the left upper back (1), left mid-back (2), left lower back (3), and left lateral chest wall (1)," Rouse explained. "Many of these bullets perforated vital organs, including the lungs and heart."
"One of these wounds was a perforating wound, with both an entrance and an exit wound," he added. "This bullet entered the left upper back, traversed soft tissue, and exited from the right shoulder area."
The report adds that according to the Smith family lawyer Peter Thompson, Hayes "showed no remorse", adding that the suspect even stood over Smith's dead body after the shooting.
Thomson also confirmed that Smith did have a registered weapon in his possession, but clarified that the gun was secured inside the car's glove compartment while the incident took place.
For their part, Hayes' attorney John Fuller spoke in behalf of his client, stating Hayes was 'not the aggressor' when the shooting occurred, and even went on to add that his client 'felt threatened' at the time.
Smith has played with the Saints his entire career, and won a Super Bowl title with them in 2009. He retired in 2012.
