Aaron Hernandez -- Charged for Shooting Murder Witness In Face ... Allegedly

Aaron Hernandez has just been charged with witness intimidation for allegedly shooting a man IN THE FACE ... a man who officials believe witnessed the ex-NFL star murder 2 other people.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hernandez was sued by Alexander Bradley, who claims Aaron pulled out a gun and shot him on their way home from a strip club in 2013.

Officials say Bradley was present when Hernandez opened fire on a car in Boston in 2012, killing 2 people who were leaving a nightclub.

According to prosecutors, Hernandez "shot him in the face on the morning of Feb. 13, 2013, and left him to die on the side of the road in Riviera Beach, Florida, after [Bradley] made a remark about the homicides."

Officials say Hernandez shot Bradley "with the intent to impede a Suffolk County criminal investigation."