Alabama Basketball Player Darius Miles Charged With Murder Over The Death Of 23-Year-Old Woman
Darius Miles, a University of Alabama basketball player, has been charged in connection with a shooting near the campus Sunday (Jan. 15) that left a 23-year-old woman dead.
The University of Alabama athletics department made a statement Sunday: “We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team.”
Additionally, 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis has been charged in the shooting. Both suspects have been charged with capital murder and are being held without bond, according to the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.
CNN reports that police responded to the shooting at around 1:45 a.m. local time Sunday and found that Jamea Jonae Harris had been shot and killed while sitting in a car less than a half-mile from the university’s campus.
According to police, the driver of the car told them that someone had shot into his vehicle and said he returned fire in self defense, possibly striking one of the suspects.
“After processing the scenes, speaking with multiple witnesses, and viewing video surveillance, two suspects were developed,” the release said, adding that one of the suspects had been hit by returning gunfire but sustained a non-life-threatening wound.
“It appears that the only motive to this was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip,” unit captain Jack Kennedy said. The Strip is a hub of restaurants and businesses near the university campus.
Miles, a 21-year-old junior, has been removed from the University's basketball team roster. He was playing his third season as a forward for the Alabama Crimson Tide.