Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller brought his former teammate Darius Miles the gun that Miles allegedly used in a fatal shooting last month, police in Tuscaloosa, Ala., testified on Tuesday.
Miller, projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft this June, is not facing any criminal charges. Miles and another man, Michael Davis, were charged with capital murder in the death of Jamea Harris on Jan. 15.
AL.com reported Tuesday that in a preliminary hearing, police said Miles texted Miller asking him to bring Miles’ gun to where they were. When Miller arrived, Miles told Davis, “The heat is in the hat,” according to detective Brandon Culpepper, meaning a gun was present.
Miles and Davis were in the back seat of Miller’s car when the gun was exchanged, and Miller’s car windshield was hit twice by gunfire during the shooting, according to testimony. Culpepper testified that Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, shot back and struck Davis’ shoulder.
Miles and Davis are facing capital murder charges because Harris’ death involved shots fired into a vehicle. As for Miller, Tuscaloosa chief deputy D.A. Paula Whitley told AL.com that by law, “There’s nothing we could charge him with.”
Jaden Bradley, another Alabama player, was at the scene of the shooting, police testified. He has not been charged with any crimes.
Alabama removed Miles from the team in January following the charge. The athletic department released a statement at the time saying it was “fully cooperating with this investigation.”
Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats faced questions about the new revelations on Tuesday afternoon and said “we knew about” Miller’s involvement.
“Can’t control everything everybody does outside of practice,” Oats said. “Nobody knew that was going to happen. College kids are out, Brandon hasn’t been in any type of trouble nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Oats later issued a statement to clarify what he called his “unfortunate remarks,” acknowledging that his earlier comments “came across poorly.”
“We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects — they were witnesses only,” Oats said in his statement. “Our understanding is that they have all been fully truthful and cooperative.
“In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris’ family.”
Alabama, currently ranked No. 2 in the country, has spent time at No. 1 this season and owes much of its success to Miller, the SEC’s leading scorer at 19.7 points per game.
Miles’ and Davis’ attorneys requested the men be released on bond and claimed they shot in self-defense. The judge has yet to rule on whether to set bail.
–Field Level Media
