Report: Court records reveal former Alabama player Darius Miles provided gun in deadly shooting

On3 imageby:Nick Schultz01/17/23

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More details are emerging regarding the capital murder charges against former Alabama men’s basketball player Darius Miles. Miles allegedly provided the gun used in the shooting, according to AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

Court records revealed Miles provided the gun Michael Davis used in the deadly shooting in the early morning hours Sunday that killed 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris, Robinson reported. Miles was arrested on capital murder charges and was seen leaving the Tuscaloosa City Jail Sunday afternoon. His lawyer released a statement saying Miles maintains his innocence.

Capital murder is a charge that carries severe consequences. If Miles is convicted on capital murder, in the state of Alabama, he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole or even the death penalty.

Capital murder is only charged in situations with special circumstances. In this case, the charge rose to that level because of a law in Alabama that allows for capital murder to be charged if the murder is “committed by or though the use of a deadly weapon while the victim is in a vehicle,” according to Alabama Criminal Code Title 13A-5-40.

Police from Tuscaloosa as well as the University of Alabama were dispatched around 1:45 a.m. Sunday. They were sent to the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium. There, they found Harris dead inside a vehicle, per Capt. Jack Kennedy of Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes, as they later deduced that the shooting had taken place off of University Boulevard.

The driver of the vehicle told police their car was hit with gunshots. In turn, the driver returned fire in self-defense and notified authorities that he may have struck one of the shooters.

Nate Oats addresses arrest of Darius Miles

Miles has been removed from the Alabama roster and the university released a statement on the matter confirming his removal from campus. During his regular press conference Monday, Alabama coach Nate Oats addressed the situation.

“Condolences to the family and friends of Jamea Jonae Harris. Young woman, daughter and mother, who was taken way too soon from a senseless act,” Oats said. “This is an incredibly sad situation and our hearts go out to her loved ones, keeping them in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to grieve. We came together last night and talked, thought it was important that we were all here and around to support one another through this situation.

“With this being a pending investigation, there’s nothing I can add that hasn’t already been shared. You may have some questions but there’s nothing I can comment on relative to Darius’ situation and the investigation.”

Miles played in 53 games in three years with the Crimson Tide, averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game during that time. He had been ruled out for the rest of this season with an ankle injury before the shooting took place and was away from the team dealing with a “personal matter” earlier in the year. However, Oats reiterated that was unrelated to Miles’ arrest.