ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said that the ICE agent who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis will probably not face prosecution because he believes the killing was justified. However, he questioned why the agent used deadly force in the first place.
“From a lawful perspective, as it relates to a law enforcement official, don’t expect him to be prosecuted. He was completely justified,” Smith stated in his new political series Straighr Shooter.
Smith also noted the agent has other options other than killing the U.S citizen, stating: “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.”
Good died Wednesday after an ICE agent fired three shots into her vehicle during a federal operation in south Minneapolis. The incident drew protests and conflicting accounts from federal and local officials with observers having different takes from different videos of the incident.
At some point in time you gotta ask yourself what damn country do you want to live in?
My full response to the ICE shooting in Minneapolis today is on YouTube now pic.twitter.com/qCbK5pzNm0
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 8, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE officers faced a “violent rioter” who “weaponized her vehicle.” An officer fired “defensive shots” because he feared for his life. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described it as “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Reuters reported that online videos verified by the news agency raise doubts about the government’s explanation. One video showed officers approaching an SUV. An officer was near the front of the vehicle when the driver moved forward and turned away. The officer fired three shots. According to Reuters, it was unclear whether the car hit the officer, and at least one shot was fired after the vehicle had passed.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected the federal account after reviewing video of the shooting. He called the self-defense claim “bullshit” and “garbage,” according to Reuters.
Gov. Tim Walz announced that the state would conduct an investigation and kept the National Guard on alert as demonstrations increased, CBS Minnesota reported.
Good, an award-winning poet and mother of three, was a U.S. citizen. She did not seem to be the target of the ICE operation. Her father, Tim Ganger, told the newspaper, “She was a wonderful person.”
The shooting has also raised legal questions about whether Minnesota can charge a federal agent. Reuters reported that federal agents generally have immunity from state prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties.
However, that protection does not apply if a court finds the agent acted outside his responsibilities or in an unreasonable or clearly unlawful way. If Minnesota charged the agent, he could ask to move the case to federal court and argue immunity.
Federal prosecutors can also charge law enforcement officers for fatal shootings. However, such cases are rare and require proof that an officer knew the conduct was unlawful or acted with reckless disregard for constitutional limits.
Smith’s comments came as video of the shooting circulated widely online. Officials continued to debate its content, with federal authorities insisting the agent acted to protect officers and local leaders claiming the footage does not support that account.
Immigration officers have been connected to 14 shootings, with five occurring in October last year.
