Crimson Tide forward Darius Miles charged with capital murder

Ainsley Platt | @ainsleyplatt, News Editor

Editors Note (1/17/23): This article was updated to correctly note the second suspects name as Michael Davis.

University of Alabama men’s basketball player Darius Miles was one of two suspects arrested and charged with capital murder Sunday following a fatal shooting near The Strip. 

Both Miles and the other suspect, Michael Davis, 20, who is not affiliated with UA, are being held without bond. Shane Dorrill, the assistant director of communications for UA, said that Miles is no longer a member of UA’s men’s basketball team. 

The victim, Jamea Harris, 23, was shot inside a car on the 400 block of Grace Street around 1:45 a.m. following what police believe was “a minor argument that occurred between the victims and suspects after they encountered each other along the strip,” according to Capt. Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Harris was not associated with UA. 

Kennedy said the driver of the vehicle told officers that he returned fire in self-defense, before driving onto campus and seeking help from law enforcement at the Walk of Champions, where Harris was found to be deceased. One of the suspects was found to have a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Kennedy said, but it was not specified who.

Before playing for the Crimson Tide, Miles attended IMG Academy in Florida. He played sparingly as a college freshman and became a rotation player last season. Miles suffered an ankle injury in a pre-season camp this year, and only played in six games before being ruled out for the season for the same injury yesterday.

In a statement, Dorrill said that the University was “grieved” by the incident. 

The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the campus community,” he said. “We are grateful for the quick and thorough response of law enforcement and emergency response teams, and we will continue to fully support the ongoing investigation. We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles; he has been removed from campus and is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team.” 

Information in the immediate wake of the shooting was unclear, as UA sent emails to students in the early hours of the morning saying that members of the UA community were not involved in the incident.

Blake Byler, CW Sports Editor, contributed to this article.