Pierre Thomas Says He Witnessed Will Smith Being Fatally Shot in New Orleans

Former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas said Tuesday that he left New Orleans on Monday night after struggling to overcome the images stuck in his mind following the death of longtime Saints star Will Smith on Saturday.

Thomas, who'd spent time with Smith that evening, posted a message on Facebook about what he witnessed and his intense feelings since the incident:  

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The last few days have been a whirlwind and I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I flew out of New Orleans last night and back to Chicago because I couldn't think straight...I witnessed a close friend, teammate and a man that I thought of as one of my big brothers in the NFL shot to death over a F--KING FENDER BENDER!!! What, why how? I just don't get it...these images that I have in my head will never leave me and I understand that and will have to live with it. I want to thank each and every one of you, my family, friends, fans and the whole entire Who Dat Nation for all of your thoughts and prayers....but let's send them instead to Will's family—his wife and 3 kids who have to be strong during this difficult time.

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Greg Botelho and Eliott C. McLaughlin of CNN reported the details surrounding Smith's death remain a mystery. The lawyer for Cardell Hayes—who Katherine Sayre of the Times-Picayune noted was booked on a second-degree murder charge, according to police—said his client was not the aggressor but a hit-and-run victim.

Fletcher Mackel of NBC New Orleans passed along a picture from earlier that night when Smith and Thomas were spending time together:

Thomas concluded his Facebook post about the situation with a plea to help find a solution for the "senseless killing":

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People!!! When is this s--t going to stop? There is so much senseless killing going on in our world, and I'm not saying that I have the answers to fix it...but I am willing to do my part to help and find a solution. My heart is heavy and wish I could turn back the hands of time, but what is done is done and sadly my close friend is gone but he will never ever be forgotten. Rest In Peace Will.

"

His comments echo those of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who spoke about the loss of his 34-year-old former teammate with Peter King of The MMQB on Sunday. He discussed New Orleans' rise in homicides and how people have become desensitized to the issue, but he believes it goes to a deeper problem with society.

"People are going to make arguments now about gun control," Brees said. "And it just seems to me...this is about the way...the way human beings treat other human beings."

Meanwhile, Saints head coach Sean Payton told Jarrett Bell of USA Today he wished the country could move forward without any guns, adding "if this opinion in Louisiana is super unpopular, so be it."

"Two hundred years from now, they're going to look back and say, 'What was that madness about?'" Payton said. "The idea that we need them to fend off intruders...people are more apt to draw them (in other situations). That's some silly stuff we're hanging on to."

The one common thread between all of the remarks since Smith's death is the raw emotion. He was a beloved member of the Saints for nearly a decade, and it shows.

That especially comes through in Thomas' statement, which doesn't come as a surprise given how close he'd become with Smith over the years.