Antonio Brown Cites Stand Your Ground Law in Bid To Dismiss Attempted Murder Charge

Antonio Brown leaned on Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground statute this week as he asked a Miami judge to toss his attempted murder case tied to a May 2025 shooting outside a boxing match.

Brown’s legal team filed a motion Monday claiming he acted in lawful self-defense when he allegedly fired a gun during a confrontation with Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu.

His attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, argued that Brown “reasonably believed that the alleged victim intended to cause him serious harm.”

The incident unfolded outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, where prosecutors allege Brown punched Nantambu and then “shoots at him at point blank range” with assistance from two other men. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Brown holding a firearm near the victim.

Brown does not deny discharging the weapon. His defense insists the shot was not aimed to kill but rather to deter. The motion calls it a “warning shot” and claims Brown “reasonably feared” Nantambu was armed.

His attorneys also cited Nantambu’s criminal background, including a one-month jail stint in Dubai for an alleged jewelry theft.

Nantambu’s lawyer, Richard Cooper, dismissed the self-defense claim entirely. “By the grace of God, [Nantambu] was not killed,” he told the court in November. Cooper labeled Brown’s motion “a farcical reimagining” of the events.

The case has taken several legal turns since the May incident. After the shooting, Brown fled the country and remained in Dubai for six months. U.S. Marshals eventually extradited him in November. He pleaded not guilty on November 12 and was released on $25,000 bond, subject to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, enacted in 2005, permits individuals to use deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger and removes the duty to retreat.

The law drew national attention during the 2013 trial of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

If convicted, Brown could face up to 30 years in prison due to a firearm enhancement added to the second-degree attempted murder charge. The former NFL wide receiver, a seven-time Pro Bowler, remains confined to his home as the court weighs whether to proceed with his case.

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