Antwoine McCants’ trial opened Sept. 23 over the June 2025 fatal shooting of Christopher Stallworth at a Shake Shack near the University of Cincinnati. He faces murder and felonious-assault charges; jurors must decide whether he acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors said a parking-space dispute led Stallworth to confront McCants inside. They allege McCants first pulled the trigger on a gun with no round chambered, then racked and fired it; the shooting was captured on restaurant surveillance video. Prosecutors said witnesses did not see Stallworth draw a gun, and McCants told police he had not seen one.
McCants’ lawyers say he feared for his safety as Stallworth approached and reached into a pocket. Prosecutors said fiancée Atiya Muhammadel first told police she was armed and drew a gun, but later said Stallworth brought her gun inside and did not draw it. She testified she learned he had a handgun when it fell from his pocket as he collapsed, and did not know how he got it. The defense said she removed the gun because he was on parole and could not own one; prosecutors said police found it on the patio, with no evidence she hid it.
