Authorities have charged Alabama men’s basketball player Darius Miles with the capital murder of a 23-year-old woman. He was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Sunday afternoon.
Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy says that the shooting occurred in the Strip off University Blvd near campus on Sunday morning. The victim has been identified as Jamea Harris.
In addition to Miles, police booked another man named Michael Lynn Davis for the shooting. The two allegedly opened fire into a car, in which Harris was a passenger. One of the suspects, who has not been identified, was shot in return fire from the car.
“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,” Kennedy said in a news conference Sunday evening.
Additionally, the shooting reportedly occurred around 1:45 a.m. Authorities located Harris deceased inside of a vehicle less than half a mile from the campus. She was reportedly in Birmingham to visit her cousin, who was a student at the university.
Harris was with her boyfriend and cousin as the three enjoyed a night out. They were getting something to eat when a man saw her and tried flirting. She denied him.
“He was advancing on her, and she declined his attention. He refused to go away,” said Harris’s mother, DeCarla Cotton. “While they were attempting to leave, one gentleman walked up to the car and started shooting.”
During the incident, Harris’s boyfriend reportedly fired shots at her assailant. The suspect was identified because he was injured and visited a local hospital for treatment.
“She wasn’t a troublemaker,” DeCarla also said of her daughter. “She was a hardworking mother who got up every day to take care of her [5-year-old] son.” DeCarla hasn’t told him of his mother’s fate just yet.
It was widely reported that Harris was killed after rebuffing advances from a man. After stating she wasn’t interested in him, she was murdered. Investigators also reportedly recovered surveillance footage of the actual shooting.
“Darius Miles admitted to providing Michael Davis with the handgun immediately prior to the shooting,” Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brenden Culpepper stated. Miles is not suspected of shooting the victim.
CNN further reports Miles and his loved ones are “heartbroken” over the young mother’s death. However, the college basketball star “maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court.”
Miles last played for Alabama on December 20, 2022, when he scored two points in Alabama’s 84-64 win over Jackson State. On Saturday, the school announced that Miles would miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Alabama is ranked fourth in the country.
The University of Alabama has since kicked Miles off the team. The school addressed the incident in a statement after the arrest.
“The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the campus community,” the statement read. “We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”
The school is also offering counseling services for students.
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