ANDERSON TOWNSHIP. OHIO — Bengals running back Joe Mixon is being sued by the family of a teen shot near his Anderson Township home in March.
Lamonte Brewer, the boyfriend of Mixon's sister, was charged with felonious assault, tampering with evidence and having a weapon under disability after police said he fired multiple shots outside Mixon's home, injuring a teen who had been playing "dart wars" with Nerf guns. Mixon was not charged.
The teen's family, who lived next door at the time of the shooting, is suing both Mixon and Brewer for emotional distress, battery and negligence, saying their conduct was "outrageous and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."
In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the family claims Mixon gave Brewer the gun and bullets "knowing full well the harm that (Brewer) could do."
"Joe Mixon knew, or should have known, that Lamonte Brewer could have used a deadly weapon and that a serious injury or death could have occurred if Brewer fired that weapon," the family said in their lawsuit.
According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, Mixon could be seen carrying the gun in surveillance footage taken from his home. However, Prosecutor Melissa Powers said in March that Mixon is a legal gun owner and he did not fire any shots.
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Powers said Mixon claimed he'd been recently receiving death threats and was worried for his safety after his sister told him there were people outside with guns.
The family claims 15 minutes before any shots were fired, Mixon spoke to their son and his friends across a fence that separates their properties. During that discussion, the family said Mixon asked what they were doing and they told him they were playing dart wars.
According to the lawsuit, Mixon's sister and her boyfriend had also seen the teens playing dart wars in the past, saying it "is utterly ridiculous, unbelievable and ... unreasonable that Joe Mixon or anyone in Mixon's home could have feared for their lives."
The family said in the lawsuit Mixon has had the opportunity to settle their complaints, but "has taken no responsibility for any of the harm that he has caused." The family has since sold their home because "they did not feel safe living next to (Mixon) anymore."
They are demanding a trial by jury.
WCPO reached out to Mixon's agent after the publication of this article. He said they have not seen the lawsuit.
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