After missing deposition, victim in Antonio Brown’s shooting case is warned
The victim in ex-NFL star Antonio Brown’s attempted-murder case will have to show up to a deposition — or run the risk of being held in contempt of court, a Miami judge warned Friday morning.
Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, requested that Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez hold Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu in contempt of court after Nantambu did not appear for a Zoom deposition on Wednesday.
“We don’t need to go all that way,” Tinkler Mendez said after warning Natambu that he risks jail time if held in contempt. “You’re a witness. You are mandated by subpoena to appear.”
Both Brown and Nantambu attended the hearing via Zoom.
Brown, 37, is accused of shooting at Nantambu outside a Miami boxing event in May 2025. He is claiming self-defense under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
During the hearing, the judge allowed Nantambu another opportunity to sit through a deposition. Attorney Richard Cooper, who represents Nantambu, said he did not attend because of a “conflict in scheduling.”
Cooper did not divulge why Nantambu missed the deposition. Prosecutors said they will work with Cooper and the defense to have Nantambu testify. They did not set a date for the deposition during the hearing.
READ MORE: Trial date set in ex-NFL star Antonio Brown’s attempted murder case in Miami
Eiglarsh said he was intending to complete Nantambu’s deposition before Brown’s Stand Your Ground hearing on June 23. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows a person to take up to deadly action if they feel their life is threatened.
“We are eager to have him testify under oath,” Eiglarsh told reporters outside the courtroom.
Last November, Brown was extradited from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Miami in connection with the May 16, 2025, shooting. The former All-Pro wide receiver, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 following his mid-game walkout, was wanted on an attempted-murder charge stemming from a dispute at the boxing event hosted by influencer Adin Ross.
Despite prosecutors claiming that the Miami-born Brown was a flight risk, Brown was granted a $25,000 bond. Since posting bail, he has been on a low-level house arrest, which allows him to work while wearing an ankle monitor.
Gunfire outside boxing match
Outside the boxing venue in Little Haiti, Brown allegedly punched Nantambu during a scuffle outside a warehouse at 221 NE 67th St. Detectives interviewed Nantambu, who said he tried to leave after Brown attacked him. But Brown, he asserted, chased him with a gun and fired at him — possibly grazing his neck.
Video of the incident showed Brown appearing to hold a gun and running out of frame. Seconds later, gunshots were heard.
At the scene, Brown, according to his arrest warrant, was detained and searched. No firearm was found on him, although police found two spent shell casings and a damaged right-handed holster outside the venue.
He was released because the man who was shot at, later identified as Nantambu, was no longer at the venue.
Brown and Nantambu had a history, court records show.
Three years ago, Brown falsely accused Nantambu, who designs and sells jewelry, of stealing $3 million in jewelry from him, the documents say. The man spent a month in a Middle Eastern jail before proving that Brown lied.
The next hearing in the case is set for May 27.
