Man Accuses NFL Star Of Shooting Him In The Face

JUNE 19--New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez, whose home was searched yesterday in connection with a murder investigation, was sued earlier this month for allegedly shooting a friend in the face as they drove away from a Miami strip club, according to federal court records.

In a U.S. District Court complaint filed last Thursday, Alexander Bradley alleges that Hernandez “caused the gun to go off while aiming it” at him inside a vehicle on February 13. The gunshot resulted in the loss of Bradley’s right eye and other assorted injuries, according to the negligence complaint.

Bradley contends that he and Hernandez, 23, were part of a group that “went to spend the evening at” Tootsie’s, a Miami strip joint. While at the club, the two men “had an argument,” the details of which are not further described in the lawsuit.

It was during a subsequent drive from Miami to Palm Beach that Hernandez’s gun discharged while the football player was “aiming at plaintiff.”

David Jaroslawicz, one of Bradley’s lawyers, said that his client is a friend of Hernandez and has been paid by the athlete to “help him out” with certain matters (along the lines of a personal assistant). Jaroslawicz added that Bradley, a Connecticut resident, was hospitalized for “a couple of weeks” following the shooting.

When Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies interviewed Bradley following the shooting, he did not name Hernandez as his assailant, according to a police report. Bradley, who was found bleeding in an alley behind a John Deere Landscapes store in Riviera Beach, claimed that his attackers were “both Hispanic and black males who shot him.” He then told a deputy that he “did not want to talk anymore because it hurt when he spoke.”

Investigators reported that Bradley was “extremely uncooperative” with emergency medical personnel and “refused to cooperate with the investigation.” The day after the shooting, Bradley “asked that the investigation not go any further.” When a deputy replied that without his help the probe would cease, Bradley replied that he understood. As a result, a detective listed the case as “inactive due to refusal to cooperate by the victim.”

During Bradley’s treatment at St. Mary’s Hospital, a bullet fragment was removed from his body and turned over to cops. Additionally, deputies noted that when they first made contact with Bradley, he was wearing a white club wristband that read “Next Level Club.” According to the “Tootsie’s” web site, the “Next Level Club” is the top-level VIP area inside the nightspot (seen above).

Bradley’s lawsuit, which sought damages in excess of $100,000, was filed June 13. Four days later, Bradley’s attorneys moved to have the complaint voluntarily dismissed. Jaroslawicz said the lawsuit was withdrawn to correct a description of the injuries Bradley suffered in the shooting, and that the complaint would be refiled, perhaps as early as this afternoon.

Hernandez’s Massachusetts home was raided yesterday by detectives probing the killing of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old acquaintance of Hernandez. The body of Lloyd, a semi-pro football player, was found Monday afternoon in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez’s North Attleboro residence. According to reports, a rental car found near the murder scene was linked to Hernandez by investigators. (7 pages)