On Thursday, Hamilton County released the incident report from the March 6 incident during which police allege a child was shot in the foot. Merlyn Shiverdecker, a Cincinnati-based defense attorney who is part of Mixon’s representation, said the running back’s counsel has had conversations 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.
According to the incident report, children were playing “dart wars,” a game that involves toy guns that shoot foam bullets. Witnesses told police they were playing in the victim’s backyard. At around 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening, shots were fired from the backyard of the neighboring home, which police confirmed is tied to Mixon. An unidentified suspect fired 11 shots, with one of them hitting the child in the foot.
The initial report from Hamilton County officials indicated that the injuries were not life-threatening. On Thursday, officials stated that no charges have been filed. Two people were identified as suspects.
“There’s a lot of potential problems that can come out of a situation where shots are fired,” Shiverdecker told ESPN regarding Mixon’s home being associated with the incident. “So obviously in our opinion, it was the prudent thing for Joe to get counsel to represent him in this thing, to advocate for him and also to protect his rights and interests.”
The home in the Anderson Township area of greater Cincinnati is officially owned by a trust. However, it was listed by police as Mixon’s residence when a warrant was issued involving an alleged aggravated menacing incident. However, the case was dismissed one day after the warrant was filed and Mixon was never arrested.
Mixon has spent all six seasons in the NFL with the Bengals and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021. Last season, he started 14 games and gained 1,255 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns. A Bengals spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Hamilton County said investigators are continuing to review the evidence and conduct interviews.
