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ESPN personality turned political commentator Stephen A. Smith believes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman during an operation was "completely justified."
During a recent episode of his podcast, Smith addressed the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot in the face through her car window on Wednesday (January 7). Federal officials claimed Good attempted to run over ICE agents during protests over the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
Despite city officials denouncing Good's death as unjustified, Smith maintained that the officer's actions were legally justified.
“I saw the video on numerous occasions and seeing what transpired from a lawful perspective, as it pertains to a law enforcement official, don’t expect him to be prosecuted,” Smith said on his podcast. “He was completely justified.”
However, the "First Take" host noted that ICE's use of lethal force could've been avoidable.
“From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did you have to do that?” Smith said. “If you could move out the way, that means you could have shot the tyres… you didn’t have to kill her.”
Smith emphasized that Good was not speeding toward officers and was stationary when ICE ordered her to exit her SUV.
“She wasn’t driving down the road, coming at you 90 miles an hour,” he said. “Rather than get out the car, she wrongfully tried to drive off… and as a result, lost her life.”
“You could have arrested her. You could have spared the woman’s life,” Smith continued. “Even though the law, from a literal perspective, might be on his side, your humanity comes into question because you didn’t have to kill her.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the officer’s actions, saying the agent “used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues.” According to the Minneapolis City Council, Good "was out caring for her neighbors" amid the immigration enforcement operation when the shooting unfolded. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar described Good as a “legal observer,” a role often used by activists to document law enforcement actions.
“We’re living in a country now where law enforcement officials are not only enforcing the law but also taking lives,” Smith said on his podcast. “In this case, it was totally unnecessary. She didn’t have to die.”
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