Stephen A. Smith doubles down on calling ICE shooting ‘justified’
Stephen A. Smith is arguably the country’s best-known sports commentator. But the ESPN commentator’s outspoken views outside the sports arena landed him in a firestorm.
The furore stems from his pointed comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman who was walking away from him.
Just hours after Wednesday’s shooting, Smith said on his SiriusXM talk show “Straight Shooter” that while the killing of Renee Nicole Good was “completely unnecessary,” he added that the officer “from a legal standpoint” was “completely justified” in shooting her with his gun.
He also noted: “From a humanitarian point of view, however, why did he have to do this?
Smith’s comments that the agent was in danger echoed the views of Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking agents and attempting to run them over with her vehicle.
However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the officer was not standing directly in front of Good’s vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local authorities say Good posed no danger to ICE agents. Video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good speaking to officers before the shooting, saying, “I’m not mad at you.”
The shooting sparked major protests and accusations from local authorities that the ICE presence disrupted and caused an escalation of violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE, telling agents to “fuck our city.”
The incident, in turn, put the spotlight more harshly on Smith, raising questions about whether he had been reckless or irresponsible in offering his perspective on Good’s shooting when he had no direct knowledge of what happened.
An angry Smith appeared on his YouTube show “Straight Shooter” on Friday, claiming the full context of his comments had not been conveyed in the media, specifically calling out the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann, while claiming people were trying to get him fired.
He also doubled down on his claim that Good caused the situation that led to his death, saying the ICE agent was in front of Good’s car and that he would have been run over if he hadn’t gotten out of the way.
“The moment you deal with law enforcement officials, you obey their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good didn’t do this.”
When reached for comment on his statements, a representative for Smith said his response appeared on Friday’s show.
This isn’t the first time Smith, who has hinted he’s interested in going into politics, has sparked sparks outside of the world of sports. He and journalist Joy Reid publicly fell out after she left MSNBC last year.
He also faced backlash from Black media figures and others when he accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas of using “street verbiage” in her frequent criticism of President Trump.
“The way Jasmine Crockett chooses to express herself…Aren’t you here to try to make things happen instead of just being an obstacle? ‘I’m just going to complain about Trump, insult him every chance I get, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that’s my day job?’ That’s not work! That’s work, that’s the man in power. I know what his agenda is. Maybe I’m trying to work with this man. I might get something out of it for my constituents.”
