A former University of Alabama basketball player has been accused of shooting and killing a 23-year-old woman. Yesterday (Jan. 15), Darius Miles, 21, and Michael Lynn Davis, 20, were arrested and charged with capital murder for the death of Jamea Jonae Harris. The victim was fatally shot early Sunday morning in Tuscaloosa’s The Strip neighborhood. Authorities were called to the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium at about 1:45 a.m. after an unidentified individual appeared from inside a vehicle with Harris in the passenger seat.
Miles — who played the junior forward position for Alabama‘s Crimson Tide — was listed as out for the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury on Saturday (Jan. 14), a little more than 24 hours prior to his arrest. In an official statement, the university confirmed that “[Miles] has been removed from campus and is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team.”
A spokesman for the Tuscaloosa P.D. further explained the situation during a news conference:
“The capital murder enhancement arises from the statute of the capital murder law concerning shooting into or murdering or committing the unlawful killing of someone while they’re inside of a vehicle.”
Both Miles and Davis are from the D.C. metropolitan area. Raised in Washington, Miles was previously a rising star at Theodore Roosevelt High School before transferring to the IMG Academy’s post-graduate team in Florida.
In a post on social media, Harris’ mother, DeCarla Cotton, shared a message in regard to her tragic loss:
“Took my baby life because she wouldn’t talk to him! I will tell you that she was loved by all! She was a beautiful young woman who loved her family and most of all, her five-year-old son Kaine! She was just trying to enjoy her weekend with her cousin that attends the University of Alabama and her boyfriend.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Harris’ son, Kaine.