Bengals RB Joe Mixon reportedly not listed as suspect in alleged shooting of 16-year-old at his house
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is not listed as a suspect in the shooting of a teenager that occurred in the backyard of his house, according to a police report obtained by ESPN's Ben Baby.
The alleged shooting occurred Monday. According to the incident report from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the 16-year-old alleged victim and two witnesses were playing a game of "dart wars," in which teenagers run around shooting each other with Nerf guns. The alleged victim reportedly ran around the side of Mixon's residence when an unknown suspect started firing a gun at him from the backyard. Witnesses and the victim reportedly told deputies the suspect fired around 11 shots and continued firing as the teen was running away.
The teens was reportedly struck in the foot and hid until the suspect stopped firing, then made it home. He was later taken to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Later, deputies reportedly stopped a black Honda seen leaving Mixon's home and recovered a rifle from the car. Investigators also found three shell casings and the teenager's Nerf gun.
Per ESPN, the incident report says the injuries were non-life-threatening and that two people were identified as suspects. As of Thursday, no charges have been filed. Mixon's trainer was also reported to have called 911 about the shooting.
Merlyn Shiverdecker, a Cincinnati-based defense attorney hired by Mixon, told ESPN the player's legal team counsel had spoken with the Hamilton County prosecutor's office and expects the case to be resolved soon:
"It's my belief that this thing is probably going to be resolved by this time next week," Shiverdecker told ESPN on Thursday.
The incident marks the latest off-field issue Mixon has faced throughout his playing career. An arrest warrant was issued for him last month after police said he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman in downtown Cincinnati just hours before the Bengals’ divisional-round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in January. Mixon was reported to have said, “You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police [can't] get me.”
A judge dismissed the charge, however, and determined that additional investigation was needed in order to move forward.
Mixon was also suspended for a season while at Oklahoma in 2014 after he was seen on video punching a woman at a sandwich shop near campus. He was charged with a misdemeanor.
Mixon ran for 814 yards and had nine total touchdowns last season, his sixth with the Bengals. The 26-year-old is halfway through a four-year, $48 million contract with the franchise.
