[Baldwin:] We are getting some breaking news just in to CNN. A controversial new bill is headed to the desk of the Tennessee governor. Just one of a swath of similar protection bills being passed and rejected across the country. It would essentially allow therapists and counselors to legally refuse service to LGBT people based upon religious objections. As soon as we have more, we'll bring it to you on CNN. Video may provide key new details of the moments just before former NFL star, Will Smith, was shot and killed. Here is the new surveillance video. Shows this New Orleans street just before the shooting. Appears to show a Mercedes SUV rear-ending a Hummer. Just as the Hummer starts there to pull off the road, the Mercedes drives away. Then a short time later, police say a Hummer, driven by the shooting suspect, Cardell Hayes, rear-ends Will Smith's SUV. They say Hayes shoots Smith multiple times, kills him, and then shoot's Smith's wife in the leg. Now, the suspect's lawyer is drawing attention to another new video in which a witness claims there was a second gun.
[Unidentified Witness:] He starts freaking out on this guy like, get out, I have a gun. Then he's like, I get one, too.
[Baldwin:] It is important to note, police only found one gun at the scene. I'm joined by Sonny Lee, the founder of Son of a Saint, an organization in New Orleans that provides mentoring and support service to young boys whose fathers have died or been jailed, also the chief aide to Tom Benson, who owns the New Orleans Saints. Sonny, I know your dad played for the Saints as well, so wonderful to have you on.
[Sonny Lee, Founder, Son Of A Saint & Chief Aide To New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson:] Thank you for having me. Good afternoon.
[Baldwin:] I was texting and this is how I got connected to you, a current player of the Saints who was drafted with Will Smith in '04. He says the whole thing has been horrendous and awful for the team and the community. You're there in New Orleans. Tell me what the reaction's been like.
[Lee:] First, I'd like to give my condolences to the Smith family but also the family of the accused shooter. But you know the community it just really hits home for us. We have a lot of violence in our city. But somebody who plays for the New Orleans Saints, you know, it's a little close to home. A lot of people are going to wake up and actually do something.
[Baldwin:] Well, I want to get to the "do something" bit in a moment, but, you know, talk about a visceral reaction. We've heard from the Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, he talked to "USA Today," railed against guns. This is what coach said. "200 years from now, they're going to look back and say, what was that madness about? The idea we need them to fend off intruders, people are more apt to draw them. That's some silly stuff we're hanging on to. I hate guns." My question to you, as you work with young men in New Orleans and we talk about, you know, in some pockets of violent culture, you know, what are the young men telling you in terms of what's happened with this former player and just in terms of settling an argument with a gun?
[Lee:] Well, my boys have actually been called in and asked if kids were going to be in the program along with the accused killer's sons, because in our program, that's what we have, boys who have lost their fathers to violence or long-term incarceration, majority of our boys. So we're dealing with a bigger issue and this is the symptom of it that's been going on for a long time in a lot of urban cities. We're dealing with poverty and we're dealing with lack of education, lack of opportunity, broken homes. So this is nothing new. And so, you know, now we need to act on it and focus on the solutions.
[Baldwin:] Talk about what you've done so far with, you know, your organization in terms of solutions, in terms of helping these young men not turn to violence.
[Lee:] Well, for us, focusing on getting the boys at about middle school age and the boys are with us until they got their college acceptance letter. We provide hope, vision and opportunity for the boys. These are boys that come in our and we also they've also had a lot of trauma. And we provide a safe and secure place for them at our clubhouse in New Orleans. We have about 45 boys in our program. Our oldest boy is actually at Xavier University. The next graduate just got accepted to the University of Tampa. So we feel that our formula is working. Our boys, they receive counseling, tutoring. They get exposed to a variety of things that they otherwise probably wouldn't. It's really consistent and positive messaging is what we're giving them.
[Baldwin:] We were talking in the commercial, you know, I don't know if you will be in touch with Will Smith's kids or the kids of Mr. Hayes, but if you advice what would you say?
[Lee:] Well, for me personally when I first heard about it, I immediately thought about the kids, specifically the boys, because it's what I went through. My father died when I was 3 years old. And so, you know, there are going to be a lot of questions you know from the boys, you know, what if they dent go out that night or what if they made a left turn versus a right turn. They're going to see pictures of them, video. A lot of his teammates are going to talk about how great of a guy he was. These are things that are going to be hard to hear. You know, it's really letting them to grieve over there, really understand it. I feel they will need counseling. But really it's the support of the city and understanding from their friends that they're going to need. We just need to be really patient and let them digest this just as much as we are in the community. So, yeah, I mean, we're there for them. We welcome them, and want to be a part of the change.
[Baldwin:] Our hearts are with all of you in New Orleans. Again, Sonny Lee, thank you. If you want more information in New Orleans, the organization is Son of a Saint. Thank you.
[Lee:] Thank you for having me.
[Baldwin:] Hour two. Here we go. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.