Lawyer: Patriots' Brandon Meriweather didn't shoot anyone

New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather, who has been in a media storm over his possible involvement in a recent Central Florida shooting, should no longer be considered a suspect, according to his lawyer.

Fort Lauderdale attorney Adam Swickle met with Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators today to deliver witness statements that he said proves his client was not responsible for the Feb. 28 shooting.

"We have confirmed that Brandon was nothing but a peace-keeper," Swickle told the Orlando Sentinel. "All of the witnesses confirmed that at no point did Brandon have a gun, or threaten to shoot, and did not shoot anyone."

Swickle added that his investigator, Robert Crispin, interviewed at least one person who identified another man who had a gun and was threatening people with it immediately prior to the shooting.

Swickle declined to name that person, but said he has a lengthy criminal history. That information was passed on to investigators at the sheriff's office, Swickle said.

The sheriff's office said the shooting is still under investigation.

"An attorney met with investigators today and provided them with several witness statements," Sheriff's spokesman Cpt. Angelo Nieves said. "Some of those individuals have also been interviewed by Orange County deputies."

Nieves said investigators are not ready to make an arrest or charge anyone with the shooting.

"We are not ready to characterize him [Meriweather] in any other fashion," Nieves said. "The investigation is continuing to move forward."

The Sheriff's Office earlier released information that Meriweather, a former star at Apopka High School and Pro Bowl NFL player, was present when two men were shot on Feb. 28.

Swickle does not deny his client was there the night of the shooting, but said he had nothing to do with it.

Nico Glendale Stanley, 23, and Quentin Louis Ramone Taylor, 24, were injured during the shooting which occurred about 2 a.m. near Marvin C. Zanders and 17th Street in Apopka. One of the victims is related to Meriweather, Swickle said.

Sheriff's records show there was a fight at the Blue Jeans Lounge in Apopka on the night of shooting. Later a fight broke out at a nearby home where the shooting took place.

But when deputies responded to the area, they found no evidence of a shooting.

A short time later an Apopka police officer working at Florida Hospital Apopka alerted Orange County deputies that two gunshot victims arrived at the hospital on their own.

Taylor, who was shot in the face, spoke to detectives for the first time on March 9, more than a week after the shooting. Stanley, 23, who was grazed by a bullet in the face, spoke to detectives on March 7, according to the sheriff's office.

A website broke the news of Meriweather's possible involvement in the shooting on March 10 and quoted high-power, Orlando attorney John Morgan, who said he represented the two men injured in the shooting.

He later told the Orlando Sentinel he was not sure of Meriweather's involvement in the shooting.

Stanley and Taylor attended Apopka High School with Meriweather, who graduated in 2002.

Meriweather was a star athlete for the Blue Darters and later a star football player at the University of Miami. He was a first-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2007.

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(sun-sentinel.com)