A high school football coach from Miami, Florida was shot and killed at his own home on Monday morning, according to the Miami Herald. Corey Smith, the head football coach at Miami Senior High School was shot around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to police. Someone else in the house reported the gunshots.
Smith was the head coach at Miami High for one season. He led the team to a 9-4 record and the regional round of the playoffs. There were several figures in the Miami community to pay tribute to Smith, including the University of Miami head coach Manny Diaz.
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“Our entire football program is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Corey Smith,” Diaz wrote in a statement as reported by Local 10 News. “Our condolences go out to his family and the entire Miami High community.” Diaz also commented on the shooting during his press conference on Monday. “It’s been a very difficult year in the South Florida high school coaching community,” Diaz said. “This is another difficult moment. It was hard news to hear that this morning. Our staff is deeply saddened by that.”
Another notable figure to comment on Smith’s death is hip-hop artist Luther Campbell who is also a coach at Miami Edison. Campbell went to Instagram and wrote: “My condolences go out to the family of Coach Corey Miami High head coach. RIP.”
“This is a very sad day for the Football family of South Florida Coach has been a [pillar] of this community. I just got off the phone with him two days ago talking football Coach Cory is one of the architects of Gwen Cherry football Program he has done so much for kids in his life this is a very sad day,” Campbell wrote in the caption. “My Prayers go out to his wife’s family along with his extended family may God bless him.”
The Miami Herald is reporting that Smith’s nephew is a suspect in the shooting. He was living with Smith after his father, who was also Smith’s brother, died in a highway chase and shooting involving a hijacked UPS truck last year. The nephew was the only other person known to be on the property. “The 15-year-old in the home was unharmed. Police are still talking to him,” Miami-Dade Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Monday afternoon. “We’re still waiting on a warrant to get into the home.”
