The region’s sweltering weather was especially felt by the 2,000 people, regardless of race or political affiliation, who descended upon the state’s capitol Saturday afternoon to counter a brazen rally of white supremacists waving Confederate flags.
Leroy Smith, who is a black man and the state’s director of public safety, was not above helping an unidentified protester showing signs of heat exhaustion while wearing a black, swastika-blazoned T-shirt, a photo shows.
“It is not unusual for (Smith) to wear a uniform and assist alongside troopers and officers during these sort of events,” Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli wrote in an emailed statement to the Daily News.
Smith was pictured in a now viral image helping the apparent neo-Nazi up the steps of the Statehouse to a patch of shade between the building’s columns where he could find water and first aid.
“He had observed that the person appeared to be feeling ill from the heat and needed assistance,” Iacobelli added.
It’s not clear if the protester is one of the 23 people who sought medical help at the rally, according to Richland County Emergency Service officials. Most of those people were treated for heat-related illnesses.
Rod Godfrey, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's deputy chief of staff, is the photographer who captured the moment. He described it as “not an uncommon example of humanity” in South Carolina.
Smith was appointed by Haley in 2011 and previously worked with the Florida Highway Patrol as its chief of investigations, with its Homeland Security and emergency management divisions.
