NEW ORLEANS -- Former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas told a jury Wednesday that he thought a heated argument between retired Saints star Will Smith and an irate driver had cooled -- but then he heard gunshots and turned to see his friend being gunned down.After the shooting stopped I stood there in shock. Telling myself that didnt happen, Thomas said, his voice shaking. Telling myself he didnt just kill one of my friends, my former teammate.Thomas, who spent eight seasons with the Saints, said he walked up to the SUV to confirm his fear, and peered through the passenger window to see Smiths body slouched over the steering wheel.Nobody disputes that Smiths killer was Cardell Hayes, 29, a former semi-pro football player and owner of a tow-truck business. At dispute in the second-degree murder trial is whether Hayes legitimately feared for his life in a post-collision confrontation with Smith and others.He also wounded Smiths wife, Racquel, in the legs, before surrendering to police at the scene.Thomas testimony is the latest to bolster the prosecutions scenario of how the shooting unfolded: The Smiths were out for the evening with friends after a festival in the French Quarter, and were traveling in three different vehicles.At one point, Smiths Mercedes SUV stopped short behind an orange Hummer, perhaps lightly striking it, before steering around it and continuing downtown. Moments later, the Hummer, driven by Hayes, rammed into the rear of Smiths vehicle, and both men got out to confront each other.Prosecutors and their witnesses say Racquel had calmed her husband and the argument had subsided when Hayes fired, hitting her in the legs, followed by a bullet to Smiths side and seven more in his back.In opening statements and cross examinations, defense attorneys John Fuller and Jay Daniels have questioned the credibility of prosecution witnesses while insisting that Hayes fired because he feared that Smith was returning to his vehicle to fetch his own gun.The Hummers crash into Smiths SUV, they suggested, was an accident that happened as Hayes was trying to report Smiths license plate number on a 911 call.Fuller noted that Smith had been drinking at the festival, a bar and two restaurants earlier that night, but Thomas insisted that Smith showed no signs of being out of control, and resisted suggestions during cross examination that he was trying to burnish Smiths image.I want justice, he told Fuller at one point.Thomas had been in a car that was ahead of the accident scene.Another Smith family friend, Rebecca Dooley testified Wednesday that Hayes shouted taunts at the slain mans body, sounding evil and showing no remorse.Dooley and her husband were riding with Smith and his wife when the Hummer slammed into them.They just both seemed angry: Will saying `You hit my car, `Mr. Hayes saying, `You hit me first, then back and forth, back and forth, Dooley testified.Dooley said her husband and Hayes passenger also had words, and that the passenger took a swing at her husband. But she said no physical contact was made among any of those arguing, and she too thought tempers had calmed.Then, she said: I see Mr. Hayes walking toward Will with a gun pointed at him. I hear shots fired. I see Wills body jolt.Look at you now. You were showing off, Dooley quoted Hayes as saying over Smiths slumped body.It just sounded like there was no remorse -- evil kind of sounding, Dooley testified.Then, she said, I heard Mr. Hayes say, `Wheres that white boy at?At that point I though he was looking for my husband, she said, but no other shots were fired.Contradicting a developing defense narrative, Dooley and Thomas said they never heard Smith threaten to fetch a gun before he was shot.Dooleys husband, Richard Hernandez, also took the stand Wednesday, and the defense pointed to inconsistencies in his testimony as well as a discrepancy between his account and what his wife apparently told police.Fuller noted that Hernandez testified at one point that the drivers were calm after the accident but also said he pulled his shirt off, expecting a fight. Fuller also said that Dooley had told police that a passenger in Hayes Hummer, Kevin ONeal, tried to calm the situation down.But Hernandez, who had argued with ONeal at the scene, characterized ONeal as aggressive. Sean Taylor Redskins Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Alex Smith Youth Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-John-Riggins-Inverted-Jersey/ .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Montez Sweat Youth Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Sean Taylor Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Its a fact: The sharp money has been on the Cleveland Browns all season.Every week, its the same thing, Ed Salmons, assistant manager at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said Sunday afternoon. Well write a limit bet [on the Browns] by a wiseguy right at the gun.It may be time to question the wisdom of the wiseguys.Cleveland fell to 0-13 on the season with Sundays 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns are now a league-worst 2-11 against the spread. The 2008?Detroit Lions, the only team to go 0-16 in a season, went 7-9 ATS during their winless campaign. No team has covered the spread in fewer than three games in a season in the past 20 years.Its hard to be that bad and not cover, Salmons said of the Browns. Because the spreads get so inflated, its really hard not to cover.The Browns are managing to pull it off, and the betting public has rejoiced. Who is playing Cleveland has become a free bingo spot on parlay cards, bookmakers said.On Sunday at William Hills Nevada sportsbook, 85 percent of the money bet on Cincinnati-Cleveland was on the favored Bengals. It doesnt seem to matter what number we hang, the public is going to fade them, a Caesars sportsbook manager said. Honestly, I cant blame them.Action was lopsided toward Cincinnati around Las Vegas. Yet, as kickoff approached, the line began shrinking.Earlier in the week, the Browns grew to as much as 6-point underdogs. On Sunday morning, the line dipped to 4.5, after the routine late sharp action showed up on Cleveland, right before kickoff.We actually won money on the spread on that game, because of the sharp action that was on the Browns, Jason Simbal, vice president for Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology, said. But obviously all the parlays accumulating had Cincinnati.The Westgate took a $10,000 limit bet from a professional player on the Browns +4.5 right before kickoff Sunday. Still, the public money on the Bengals outweighed the amount on Cleveland, leaving the Westgate rooting against the Browns alongside professional bettors.These guys are professionals. They are playing numbers, Sallmons said.ddddddddddddYou want to gamble against the public, but at some point youd like to see a team cover.William Hill is offering odds on whether the Browns will finish 0-16. Yes is currently a -240 favorite.At William Hills 108 Nevada sportsbooks, 93 percent of the bets and 55 percent of the total dollars wagered are on Yes. The book took a $5,400 bet on the No at -900 on Oct. 20. If the Browns win a game, the bet would net $600.The Browns are the only team in the NFL this season to have been an underdog in every game. The SuperBook has installed Cleveland as a 10-point underdog at Buffalo this week.Giants help salvage Sunday for Vegas booksSeveral Las Vegas sportsbooks were down heading into the Sunday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and home underdog New York Giants. The Westgate and South Point sportsbooks said they were in practically no-win situations. Six favorites covered in the early nine-game slate, and the Green Bay Packers, a popular home-underdog pick with bettors, rolled past the Seattle Seahawks in one of the bigger afternoon losses for MGMs sportsbook.The early results left the MGM with a big decision brewing on the NFC East primetime showdown between the Cowboys and Giants. An hour and a half before kickoff, six times as much money had been bet on Dallas as had been bet on New York. If we get Giants, we hold onto the money, Jay Rood, MGM vice president of race and sports, said. If we dont, its going to be pretty much a wash.The Westgate was in a more precarious position heading into the night game, after losing big decisions with the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams in the afternoon.If its Dallas and over, we can lose a ton, SuperBook assistant manager Ed Salmons said. If its Giants and over, we still lose. And if its Giants and under, we win literally next to nothing on the game. So its like you can lose a lot or win hardly anything.The Giants won 10-7 in a low-scoring game that stayed under the total. ' ' '
