Cincinnati –
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon was armed with a legal weapon when a teenage boy was shot near a player’s home earlier this month, but he did not open fire or fire a gun. , did or did not do anything illegal, and authorities announced Thursday charges against Mixon’s sister and her boyfriend.
Lamonte Brewer, who authorities identified as the shooter, was arrested Thursday afternoon after Sharonda Mixon was arrested by the South Ohio Fugitive Arrest Strike Team.
Prosecutor Melissa Powers said at a press conference Thursday that Brewer fired several shots and was charged with vicious assault, tampering with evidence, and two counts of weapons. He has been charged with tampering and obstruction of justice. Brewer could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all counts, while Sharonda and her Mixon could face up to four years in prison.It was not known if any had lawyers speaking for them
Powers said Joe Mixon legally owns a gun and will not be charged.
According to Powers, the March 6 shooting occurred while several boys were playing a darts war. She added that Joe Mixon had received death threats and was concerned to hear people running around nearby with weapons. While in the yard together, Brewer said they acted independently, armed with a Zastava pistol that resembled an AK-47 and fired the same rounds.
Powers said security footage from Joe Mixon’s home captured the shooting and also showed Sharonda Mixon collecting shells from the yard before she and Brewer left the house. She said Brewer and others could have known that many young people playing the Dart Wars game had toy weapons.
The shooting victim, a 16-year-old boy, received at least one bullet and was treated in hospital. he was subsequently released.
Mixon’s agent, Peter Shaffer, said in a statement prepared Thursday that the prosecutor’s finding that the player had done nothing wrong “clearly demonstrates Joe’s innocence. This is the conclusion we expected based on the facts.”
Shaffer said his client had returned home from California on the day of the shooting and became concerned when he saw “a large number of vehicles” parked at his house and blocking the street that night. He also saw one person with what he believed to be a “long gun” and instead of confronting anyone, he went outside to find out what was going on.
No one responded to a message left for the Bengals on Thursday.
