s expanded on Thursday. Reliever Joe Smith (hamstring) and outfielder Chris Coghlan (rib contusion) were technically activat

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 stood 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 shooting, 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 looking 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 shooting 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 shooting, 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 shooting.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 took 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 soon 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 good witness for the state, because he appeared evasive and contradicted other witnesses, including Thomas, Racquel Smith and his own wife, Rebecca Dooley, 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 shooting, 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 Goose [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 courtroom 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 shooting.Cacioppo testified that Smith and Hayes were arguing back and forth and hand checking, which he described as similar to a high school 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 too, 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 Dooley 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 Dooleys 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.NBA Jerseys Outlet .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. NBA Jerseys China .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Clearance NBA Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December.CHICAGO -- Cubs reliever Pedro Strop suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury as an MRI revealed the righty strained his right groin during workouts on Wednesday.Strop originally was to be out four to six weeks after tearing the meniscus in his left knee last month, though the Cubs had thought he might be back on the shorter end of that diagnosis. Now the team says hell be out a full six weeks with a mid-September return. It still gives Strop plenty of time to prepare for the postseason.The Cubs got better news in the form of John Lackey, who threw off the Wrigley Field mound on Thursday as he readies for a return from the disabled list due to shoulder soreness.I feel fine, Lackey said afterward.?I feel like I can pitch in a game. If Lackey feels OK on Friday morning, hell be slated to start Sundays game against the San Francisco Giants. Theres also good news for setup man Hector Rondon (triceps), who is headed to Triple-A Iowa for rehab outings on Saturday and Monday bbefore hes expected to be activated as well.dddddddddddd The Cubs called up some reinforcements as rosters expanded on Thursday. Reliever Joe Smith (hamstring) and outfielder Chris Coghlan (rib contusion) were technically activated from the disabled list, as both were on rehab assignments at Triple-A, and righty Jake Buchanan was called up along with them. Buchanan, 26, was 12-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 24 appearances for Iowa including 22 starts. He gives the bullpen some length, as manager Joe Maddon has used his top relievers often during the Cubs 22-6 August run. When youre winning often, youre going to use up a lot of good bullpen, Maddon said Thursday. Its part of the way this thing flows. Lackey is expected to be a playoff starter for the Cubs while Strop and Rondon are their seventh- and eighth-inning bullpen arms in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. ' ' '