Bengals RB Joe Mixon being sued for shooting involving his neighbor
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon just can’t seem to stay away from negative press.
The 27-year-old former second-round pick was recently named in a civil lawsuit stemming from the shooting of his teenage neighbor, according to court records obtained by ESPN.
The court documents indicate that the victim’s family is seeking damages from Mixon and his sister’s boyfriend Lamonte Brewer, who was in Mixon’s yard and allegedly shot the victim in the foot while he and his friends were playing with Nerf guns.
A 911 call from the incident indicates Brewer believed the Nerf gun to be a real one, prompting him to take action.
The victim’s family has since moved, claiming they didn’t feel safe living next to Mixon any longer. They sold their home next door to the former Pro Bowl running back for $2.175 million approximately two months ago.
"The defense that the Mixon home occupants felt in fear of their lives from 16-year-old high school students playing Nerf Wars with green, blue, and grey colored toy nerf rifles in the neighbor's yard is utterly ridiculous, unbelievable," the lawsuit reads. "It is unreasonable that Joe Mixon or anyone in Mixon's home could have feared for their lives."
While Mixon was never a suspect and not charged with any crime in relation to the shooting, the lawsuit claims that the ammunition and the gun used in the shooting belonged to Mixon, who the family says was negligent. They also stated that Mixon had “several opportunities” to take responsibility for “the harm that he caused” but he’s refused to do so.
Brewer was charged with felony assault, evidence tampering and two counts of having weapons while under disability. Mixon’s sister Shalonda was charged with evidence tampering.
Mixon took a $4.3 million pay cut last month to give Cincinnati more cap flexibility, a move that likely saved his job. The deal keeps Mixon with the Bengals for 2023 but gives the team an out after the season, per Spotrac. Nixon rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns last season while missing three games.
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