Television news reporter Shaquille Brewster was covering the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Gulfport, Mississippi, when a white man got out of his white pickup truck and charged toward him shouting.
As Brewster, an NBC News and MSNBC correspondent gave an update on the area, a white pickup truck could be seen in the far upper left-hand corner. The driver gets out and comes rushing toward the reporter shouting “report accurately.” Brewster then tries to redirect the cameraman so that the unidentified man isn’t captured. “I am going to turn this way, because we deal with some people every once in a while,” he tells host Craig Melvin.
Brewster then used his forearm to shield himself as the mostly incomprehensible man walked back up to him and ranted “report accurately!” Unable to continue the coverage uninterrupted, Brewster tells Melvin he’ll toss it back to him as the angry man continued shouting at crew members.
Melvin assured views, “We’re going to check in with Shaq Brewster just to make sure all is well. There’s a lot of crazy out there, a lot of crazy.” Moments later, the Howard University graduate tweeted, “appreciate the concern guys” and that “the team and I are all good!”
Melvin later wrote, “This is beyond unacceptable and disgusting. @shaqbrewster was trying to do his job on a beach in Gulfport, MS. Shaq is ok. This guy who nearly attacked him clearly is not.”
Afterward, Melvin told viewers, “I do want to note here for a moment, you probably saw or heard a few moments ago a correspondent was disrupted by some wacky guy in his live shot there in Mississippi. Pleased to report that Shaquille Brewster is doing just fine. Shaq is OK.”
Viewers online also showed their support, including one Twitter user who wrote, “I cannot believe you have to deal with people like this.” They added, “I do hope NBC will allow you to address this on air. The attack on media has gotten out of hand a long time ago.” The person later encouraged the reporter to press charges if he made physical contact with him, before applauded Brewster on dong a “great job” and “This has to be stopped.”
In a statement following the confrontation, MSNBC President Rashida Jones praised Shaq Brewster, calling him “an exceptional journalist.” She added, “Like the consummate professional, he did not let someone intimidate him from doing his job. We’re glad he and the team are safe, and we couldn’t be more proud and supportive of their work.”
Check out the incident down below.
