Former Saints DE Will Smith shot to death in New Orleans
Former Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed following an altercation sparked by a vehicle collision Saturday night in New Orleans, according to a Times-Picayune report. He was 34.
A woman he was traveling with was wounded in the double shooting, the paper reported. Two law enforcement sources and a person with the team told the Times-Picayune that the victims were Smith and his wife.
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The couple was driving their Mercedes when they were rear-ended by a Hummer H2 around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in New Orleans, police said. The crash caused Smith's car to hit another vehicle.
Smith and the Hummer driver exchanged words, and the other driver pulled out a handgun and shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Times-Picayune.
His wife was wounded in the leg and was being treated at a hospital. Hours before the incident, the couple posted a photo on Instagram from the French Quarter Fest.
NOPD spokesman Juan Barnes said the Hummer driver, who is 30, was in custody and that the weapon had been recovered.
The New York native, who played college football at Ohio State, was a 2004 first-round draft pick by New Orleans, the only place he ever played (New England picked him up after an injury-shortened 2013 campaign, but he never played a down for the Patriots).
Smith had two children with his wife, Raquel, and a child from a previous relationship.
On Sunday, the Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis released a statement via Twitter.
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Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.
