Cops: Darius Miles Supplied Gun Used in Murder

Another man allegedly fired shot that killed Jamea Jonae Harris
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 16, 2023 12:05 AM CST
Updated Jan 17, 2023 4:13 PM CST
Alabama Basketball Player Charged With Murder
Alabama forward Darius Miles looks to pass in the second half an NCAA college basketball game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., March 5, 2022.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
UPDATE Jan 17, 2023 4:13 PM CST

A former University of Alabama basketball player didn't fire the shot that killed a young mother in Tuscaloosa early Sunday, but he supplied the gun that was used, investigators say. Darius Miles, who has been removed from the team, and Michael Lynn Davis have both been charged with capital murder, AL.com reports. Miles, 21, "admitted to providing Michael Davis with the handgun immediately prior to the shooting," a charging sheet states. Police say Harris, 23, was in the passenger seat of a Jeep when she was shot. Defense lawyers for Miles said Monday that he and his family are "heartbroken" by the death of Harris, mother of a 5-year-old son, but he "maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court."

Jan 16, 2023 12:05 AM CST

Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was removed from the team after being charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a woman near campus. Along with Miles, 21, a Maryland man—Michael Lynn Davis, 20— was hit with the same charge in the death of Jamea Harris, 23, of Alabama. It had just been announced Saturday that Miles, who is from Washington DC, would miss the rest of the season due to a preseason ankle injury, and he was benched for Saturday's game, AL.com reports. The shooting took place on the Strip, an area near the University of Alabama campus, in the early hours of Sunday.

Police who were called to the scene found Harris dead inside a vehicle, and the driver told police someone shot into the vehicle and he fired back in self-defense. Police viewed surveillance video and spoke to witnesses to determine that Miles and Davis were their suspects; one of them had indeed been shot and suffered a non-life-threatening injury. "At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on the Strip," police said in a statement. The Crimson Tide expressed sympathy to the victim's family and said Miles is no longer on the team, ESPN reports. Harris leaves behind a 5-year-old son. (More Alabama stories.)

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