Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon will not be indicted in a shooting that occurred near his home in Ohio, according to local officials Thursday.
Prosecutors in Hamilton County (Ohio) allege that Lamonte Brewer fired 11 shots at a teenager playing a Nerf gun game with friends in a neighboring backyard.
Brewer is listed as the boyfriend of Shalonda Mixon, Joe Mixon’s sister. He is alleged to have fired bullets from a residence belonging to Mixon, with one shot striking the victim in the foot.
Brewer was indicted on one count of assault, one count of tampering with evidence and two counts of having weapons under disability — all felonies. Shalonda Mixon faces felony indictments of tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
Joe Mixon was seen on surveillance footage carrying a firearm. However, he did not fire any shots and is not a suspect in the case, according to officials.
“No charges are being filed against him,” Hamilton County prosecutor Melissa Powers said at a news conference in Cincinnati. “He did not commit a crime.”
Mixon’s agent Peter Schaffer said in a statement that Mixon and his physical therapist, Sean Pena, who was also present at the time, feared for the safety of those in the home.
But Powers pushed back, saying the adults should have been able to recognize the people in the neighboring yard had toy guns rather than real ones, even with minimal daylight at the time.
“When another individual discharged a firearm, Joe interceded to stop the person discharging a firearm,” Schaffer added in a statement. “Joe hates that a young adult was injured during this incident.”
The home in question, in the Anderson Township area of greater Cincinnati, was listed as Mixon’s residence last month when a warrant was issued for him on a charge of aggravated menacing. That case was dismissed one day after the warrant was filed and Mixon, 26, was not arrested.
Mixon just completed his sixth season with the Bengals, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 in the AFC Championship Game.
The Bengals selected Mixon in the second round with the 48th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. Mixon signed a four-year, $48 million extension in 2020 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
–Field Level Media