Ex-NFL star wide receiver Antonio
Brown facing attempted murder charges in Miami shooting
[June 14, 2025]
By CURT ANDERSON
Former NFL player Antonio Brown is facing an attempted murder charge
stemming from a shooting that took place during an altercation
outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, according to an arrest
warrant.
Brown, 36, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer
and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with
earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators
one of the bullets grazed his neck.
The warrant does not list an attorney for Brown, an All-Pro wide
receiver who last played in the NFL in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent
most of his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Brown did not respond to
messages sent to his social media accounts.
The second-degree attempted murder charge carries a maximum 15-year
prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.
It is the latest in a series of legal problems for Brown, who has
previously been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several
domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other
incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York
Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran
off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers.
After that incident, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said people
should show some compassion for Brown, who lived at Brady's home
during his time in Tampa Bay.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Brady said then. “Everybody should do
what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all
love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his
best. Unfortunately, it won’t be with our team."
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According to the arrest warrant, Brown attended a
celebrity boxing event in Miami on May 16. Police were called to the
location after other patrons reported hearing shots fired. Several
of them told officers Brown was the shooter, but when he was
detained in the parking lot no weapon was found, but two bullet
casings were located.
Brown was released then because the victim was not
found immediately, according to the warrant. Later, investigators
learned Nantambu was the victim.
Based on surveillance video, the altercation outside the boxing
event involving Brown, Nantambu and others was broken up by security
staff, one of whom got into a struggle with Brown, the warrant says.
“Mr. Brown appears to retrieve a black firearm from the right hip
area” of the security official, the warrant says. “Cellphone video
obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his
hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside sidewalk. The
video captures two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several
feet of Mr. Nantambu.”
Nantambu identified Brown as the shooter and told investigators he
had known Brown since 2022.
In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was
“jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and
cause physical harm to me.”
During his playing career, Brown caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards
and 88 touchdowns. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland
Raiders, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning the
2021 Super Bowl along with Brady. Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowl
selection.
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