As debates raged in the wake of the deadly shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent, Stephen A. Smith weighed in to note the federal officer was “completely justified” from a legal perspective.
The radio host and sports analyst discussed the video that circulated online showing the encounter with a woman, identified as Renee Nicole Good, refusing to heed orders by ICE agents who were conducting official business in the city. Smith simultaneously wondered why the officer could not get out of the way of Good’s vehicle as she appeared to drive towards the agents, and also noted that the law is likely on the side of the officer.
“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. He was completely justified,” Smith said on his Straight Shooter podcast.
(Video Credit: Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith)
“From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did you have to do that? If you could move out of the way, that means you could have shot the tires. That means you could have got a few feet away after you shot the tires, and if you were unsuccessful at doing that, you could have got her down the road,” the ESPN analyst continued.
“She wasn’t driving down the road, coming at you 90 miles an hour; she was parked in the middle of the street. Rather than get out of the car, she wrongfully tried to drive off. And wrongfully disregarded a law enforcement official because that it was ICE, and as a result, lost her life because of it,” he lamented.
“From a legal perspective, don’t expect this ICE officer to be prosecuted, I’m telling you right now. She was in the car, protesting, blocking off the street, an officer got in front of the car, another on the side, and she tried to take off,” Smith recounted.
“And in their eyes… other folks, on the right, are saying no, they consider it an act of domestic terrorism because she tried to run over an ICE officer. Not gonna be prosecuted,” he repeated.
Today, in an act of domestic terrorism, an anti-ICE rioter weaponized her vehicle against law enforcement. Our officer relied on his training and saved his own life, as well as the lives of his fellow officers.
Sanctuary politicians have created an environment that encourages… pic.twitter.com/OGZUkdbr3R
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 8, 2026
“My point is, let’s not focus on that for a second, ok. She was wrong to drive off; she shouldn’t have done that,” Smith said of the 37-year-old mother.
“Or she should have asked the officer, ‘I am pulling over, can you move out the way please?’ instead of trying to disregard him totally to the point where you are gonna take off and potentially hit him, and he moves out the way and draws his gun and shoots through the front windshield and takes her out,” he continued. “But it wasn’t necessary. You could have arrested her; you could have spared the woman’s life. You didn’t have to kill her.”
“So even though the law, from a literal perspective, might be on his side, the reality is your humanity comes into question because you didn’t have to kill her. She didn’t have to die,” he reiterated. “We’re living in a country now where some people more often than not are becoming lawless, and law enforcement officials are not only about enforcing the law while serving and protecting, but they are also taking lives. At least in this case, that was the case. I believe it was totally unnecessary.”
While Smith made his argument on the basis of humanity, many reactions to the YouTube clip called him out.
“If playing both sides was a person, Stephen A Smith,” one user commented.
“Steven, were you this upset over Ashley Babbit?” asked another.
The fact that you constantly try to play both sides of the fence is absolutely disgusting. You keep saying we have to choose what kind of country wanna live in while trying to sit right in the middle yourself
— Garnell Walls (@phantom0068) January 8, 2026
Wrong Stephen A. She should have not impeded Federal officers and used her vehicle as a weapon. It’s easy for you to make that assessment sitting behind a desk, talking through a microphone, giving an opinion on a situation you have no experience in dealing with.
— EnriQue HoNe$ “Lucky7” 🍀 (@ErickHonesel5e) January 8, 2026
Please launch yourself into the sun. We have fallen as a society when we have sports broadcasters (hardly) pontificating about our society.
— Hum (@humrashid) January 8, 2026
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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