NEW ORLEANS -- Pierre Thomas described witnessing the April 9 death of his friend and former New Orleans Saints teammate Will Smith on Wednesday, as testimony continued in the murder trial of Cardell Hayes, the man who shot Smith.I std there in shock, telling myself, That didnt happen. He didnt just kill one of my friends, said Thomas, a longtime former Saints running back.Thomas was not involved in the altercation that led to Smiths shting, because he was in a car driving farther ahead. But Thomas said he arrived in time to see the heated argument among Smith, Hayes and other parties, as well as most of the shots fired by Hayes.Thomas said Smiths wife, Racquel, had calmed Smith down and that the couple were walking back toward their car before shots were fired. Thomas said he was lking in another direction when the first shot hit Racquel Smith in the legs. But he said he saw Hayes fire the second shot in Will Smiths direction, then walk about two steps closer toward the former player and fire five or six more times into the Smiths vehicle.An eyewitness not affiliated with any of the parties, Stephen Cacioppo, described the shting in a similar fashion. He witnessed the incident through the window of his home. Cacioppo said Will and Racquel Smith had moved away from Hayes toward the sidewalk before the shting, and that Hayes shot twice, paused to walk closer, then fired several more times.However, neither Thomas nor Cacioppo witnessed the first shot, and both said they could not hear what was being said between Will Smith and Hayes before the shting.Thomas and Cacioppo were two of six witnesses, as Wednesdays testimony centered heavily on the role of Smiths acquaintance, Richard Hernandez.Hernandez was the passenger in Smiths car who tk off his shirt -- admittedly preparing for a fight -- during the heated argument that followed a pair of traffic incidents and led to Smith being shot eight times and his wife being shot once in both legs.Smiths vehicle appeared to bump Hayes vehicle while both were driving on Magazine Street, according to surveillance video. But Smith drove away, with passengers of the car testifying they did not feel like they hit Hayes vehicle. Hayes then pursued Smith, and sn after, Hayes vehicle crashed into Smiths vehicle at a higher rate of speed, causing the back windshield to shatter -- although the two sides have debated whether it was intentional or accidental. All parties agree that a loud shouting match ensued, and the state played audio Wednesday of Hayes telling an off-duty police officer that he exited his car with a gun in hand.Hayes, however, is claiming self-defense. He said he thought Smith was reaching into his car to retrieve his own gun after threatening to do so. And defense attorneys have painted Hernandez as the chief instigator in an escalating argument among three people in Smiths party and two people in Hayes party.At one point, defense attorney John Fuller loudly and dramatically hammered that point home, when he asked Thomas if he ever considered that if Hernandez had never taken off his shirt that maybe Smiths wife would never have lost her husband and Hayes family wouldnt be without him today.Thomas responded by saying the argument among Hernandez, Hernandezs brother-in-law Jonathan Whipple and Hayes friend Kevin ONeal was a separate argument from the one that was occurring between Smith and Hayes.And the assistant district attorneys repeatedly said that Hernandezs removing his shirt in anticipation of a fistfight was not as threatening as exiting a vehicle with a gun in hand.Hernandez testified Wednesday morning. Most observers agreed Hernandez was not a gd witness for the state, because he appeared evasive and contradicted other witnesses, including Thomas, Racquel Smith and his own wife, Rebecca Dley, on many points.Hernandez was the only witness for the state who would not concede that he was acting aggressively. And the defense attorneys mocked Hernandezs claim that he was acting calm, even though he admitted to removing his shirt in anticipation of a fight and admitted to fleeing the scene and leaving his wife there after the shting, because he feared for his safety.Fuller asked Hernandez at one point, Whos lying, you or your wife? and Are you sure you only had three Grey Gse [vodka] and cranberries?Thomas testified that Hernandez swung at ONeal at one point.And the neutral eyewitness, Cacioppo, said Hernandez was acting ridiculous and said he appeared to charge toward Hayes at one point.The state tried to paint Hernandez as harmless and even had members of the jury laughing multiple times during Cacioppos testimony, since he described Hernandez as kind of bouncing around wildly, like maybe he wanted to fight and maybe he didnt.He was all over the place. I couldnt take my eyes off him, Cacioppo said.Hernandez is much smaller than Smith, Hayes and ONeal. ?The courtrm laughed when Cacioppo said things like, The white guy ... was not gonna make it. ... I couldnt see him winning a fight.Hernandezs antics diverted Cacioppos attention away from Smith and Hayes at the time of the shting.Cacioppo testified that Smith and Hayes were arguing back and forth and hand checking, which he described as similar to a high schl fight, when people began waving their arms toward each other, as if theyre gearing up for a possible fight.But Cacioppo said Racquel Smith stepped between the men to intervene, and he believed Smith and his wife had moved away toward the sidewalk before shots were fired.The defense has repeatedly made suggestions that Will Smith said something to the effect of, Youve got a gun, Ive got a gun t, and that Hernandez said something to Hayes to the effect of, Im gonna kill you, along with a racial slur.So far, all of the states witnesses have denied hearing either of those comments. But the defense has not yet begun presenting its case.Rebecca Dley was the first to testify Wednesday, and she echoed Racquel Smiths testimony from Tuesday that Hayes not only shot Will Smith eight times but followed by shouting over him that he deserved it for showing off and that Hayes showed no remorse and was evil.The defense pointed out discrepancies between Dleys testimony and her original statement to police, in which she never mentioned her husband being on the scene and said ONeal had been trying to calm things down. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strtman. Custom Nike Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. 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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- With quarterback Colin Kaepernick set to appear on the cover of Time magazine, San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly spoke for the first time at length Thursday about why he believes what Kaepernick is doing is important.Previously Kelly had mostly stuck to saying that he and the team respected Kaepernicks right to speak his mind, but with Kaepernicks protest of racial inequality and oppression in the United States picking up momentum across the league and the country, Kelly offered further support.I think its an issue -- you lk at whats gone on in Tulsa and Charlotte the last two nights -- its an issue thats at the forefront of our country and it needs to be addressed and needs to be taken care of because whats going on is not right, Kelly said. I think, again, hes shedding light on a situation that is heinous and shouldnt happen in this country. We all have inalienable rights as a citizen of this country and theyre being violated, and thats what I think Colin is standing up for.The cover of the Oct. 3 issue of Time reads The Perilous Fight followed by National anthem protests led by Colin Kaepernick are fueling a debate about privilege, pride and patriotism.Kelly also emphasized that Kaepernicks protest has not trickled into his preparation or had an adverse impact on the way he goes about his business when working.When hes here, hes doing ftball, Kelly said. When were here from 8:15 when we get here in the morning until 5 when we leave, hes at every meeting, hes done everything, there hasnt been anything.dddddddddddd Hey, Coach I need time because Ive got this going on -- he hasnt done that. He understands what his job is and hes balanced it really well, and I think hes managed it really well. Hes focused, hes dialed in when were at practice.Asked whether he thought it was appropriate for Kaepernick to speak about social issues after a game, Kelly said he doesnt mind.When hes asked a question, I think he should answer what his feelings are on those questions, Kelly said. If you dont think thats the thing then maybe you shouldnt ask him those questions.On Tuesday, Kaepernick revealed that hes received death threats via multiple avenues and said anyone acting on such threats would only be proving his point. He also said he will donate $100,000 per week for the next 10 weeks to organizations focused on helping communities in need.Kaepernick said he has been encouraged by the amount of support hes received from other athletes and people around the country.I think other people are picking up on the protest and speaking out about it, from high schl to activists to pro athletes, Kaepernick said. I think its huge and I think the more conversation continues between those communities, more and more solutions will come up on how to fix this and the best way to fix it as quickly as possible. I think thats important and ultimately the goal. ' ' '