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NEW ORLEANS (AP) A lawyer for the man who fatally shot former NFL star Will Smith in 2016 said Tuesday that he'll seek the man's release on bond now that a Louisiana appeals court has officially vacated his manslaughter conviction by a non-unanimous jury.

Cardell Hayes has long insisted he fired in self-defense when he shot Smith during a confrontation following a traffic crash. At trial, the jury in 2016 voted 10-2 to convict Hayes of manslaughter in Smith's death and attempted manslaughter in the wounding of Smith's wife.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court later declared such non-unanimous verdicts unconstitutional. The high court threw out Smith's convictions in January and sent the case back to the state. The state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal formally vacated the convictions and sentences Friday, officially sending the case back to district court in New Orleans.