University of Alabama player Darius Miles has been fingered by law enforcement in the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman.
Miles, 21, and Michael Lynn Davis, 20, were both charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Jamea Jonae Harris.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, Tuscaloosa Police Department officers responded to a reported call of a shooting on the Strip of Tuscaloosa. Police discovered a dead woman inside a vehicle near the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium. Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Capt. Jack Kennedy said Harris was dead inside the vehicle.
Police were informed by the driver that their vehicle was hit by gunfire. According to the driver, he claimed that he had fired gunfire in self-defense and suggested that a gunman may have been hit.
Kennedy stated, “It seems at this point that the shooting was caused by a minor argument between victims and suspects following encounters along the strip.”
Investigators located Miles and Davis after interviewing witnesses and looking at local video surveillance.
The suspects were interviewed by police and taken into custody.
Alabama.com reported that Miles, 21 years old, appeared to be weeping during a pep walk and said, “I love you” and “I love you more than you can imagine,” several times to someone outside the Tuscaloosa County Jail.
Kennedy said, “The Violent Crimes Unit member agencies used all their resources and worked flawlessly together to resolve this case in a quick manner.”
Miles was present on the bench during Alabama’s 106 to66 win over LSU Saturday because Miles, a junior forward, was out of action due to an ankle injury that he sustained in the preseason.
Miles has been dismissed from the Crimson Tide basketball team. Miles is no longer on the University of Alabama website, and there is a 404 error instead.
The University of Alabama released a statement regarding the shooting.
The safety and well-being of campus residents are the University of Alabama’s top priority. We are deeply grieved by last night’s incident near campus and offer our condolences and sympathies to the victims’ families and friends. We are grateful for the prompt and thorough responses of emergency response teams and law enforcement and will continue to support the ongoing investigation. Darius Miles, a student-athlete was charged with the most recent offense. He has been expelled from campus and is not a part of the Alabama men’s basketball team.
