Antonio Brown reportedly hopes for dismissal of attempted murder charge after citing Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law

Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown petitioned a Miami court Thursday to drop an attempted murder charge that could land him up to 30 years in prison, according to multiple reports.

Brown, 37, pleaded not guilty last month after being arrested and extradited from Dubai and claims his gunfire outside of a celebrity boxing event in Miami on May 16 consisted of “warning shots” out of self-defense.

While filing a motion this week, Brown and his legal team reportedly cited Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which was passed in 2005 and permits a person to turn to deadly force instead of retreating if faced with a situation they believe calls for such force due to the threat of death or significant physical harm. The statute can provide immunity from prosecution.

Brown said on X following the shooting that he “was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”

Brown, who was released from jail on $25,000 bond last month and forced to wear a GPS ankle monitor while on house arrest, still maintains that he was acting out of fear for his own safety. In the arrest affidavit, which Brown’s attorney disputes, authorities said Brown pulled a handgun from a security worker after the event and fired two shots at a man, as reported by USA Today.

Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said, per USA Today, that Brown used his own weapon and wasn’t aiming at anyone.

“Our detailed motion makes it abundantly clear that my client was forced to defend himself as a direct result of the alleged victim’s violent and aggressive actions,” Eiglarsh told the Miami Herald. “We are confident that these charges will be dismissed as a matter of law.”

The night of the boxing event, hosted by influencer Adin Ross, Brown allegedly punched 41-year-old Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu before the shooting, as reported by the Herald.

Detectives interviewed Nantambu, who, according to the Herald, said that he tried to leave following Brown’s alleged punch. Nantambu reportedly explained, though, that Brown went after him with a gun. That’s allegedly when the bullets were fired, and, according to USA Today, Nantambu said one of them grazed his neck.

Eiglarsh unpacked a different account in the motion, per the Herald, which reported that the attorney alleged Nantambu — who was allegedly jailed in Dubai for 30 days in 2022 after stealing Brown’s jewelry and, in 2023, allegedly attacked Brown backstage at a Rolling Loud concert — was waiting on May 16 “for an opportunity to confront Brown violently” outside the boxing event.

According to Eiglarsh, Nantambu approached and attacked Brown as well as several other people, the Herald reported.

“Brown sustained injury to his eye, knee and hands, leaving him with visible bleeding,” the motion reads, per the Herald.

“The chaos created by Nantambu’s violent attack heightened Brown’s fear for his life,” the motion also said, according to the Herald.

The motion reportedly states that Brown ran to his car to escape and then grabbed his lawfully permitted firearm, with Nantambu trailing. It also says, per the Herald, that Brown attempted to aim away from Nantambu, who Brown allegedly thought was armed and dangerous, while firing two “warning shots.”

Per Eiglarsh, Nantambu continued to pursue and confront Brown before leaving the scene with Brown’s gun.

Nantambu’s attorney, Richard L. Cooper, described the motion as “a farcical reimagining” of what happened, according to ESPN’s report.