Obituary: Will Smith, the all-American star born on the fourth of July

Will Smith: Super Bowl-winning defensive end with the New Orleans Saints. Another victim of US gun culture, writes Colm Greaves

Just before midnight on the night of April 9 last, Will Raymond Smith and his wife Racquel were returning home from a meal at their favourite sushi restaurant in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans.

Smith, a recently retired defensive end for the New Orleans Saints was driving a Mercedes SUV when he made an innocuous contact with the back bumper of a ‘Hummer 2’ that had stopped at a red light ahead of him.