A senseless and devastating killing occurred over the weekend in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where a 23-year-old woman was fatally shot resulting in two men being charged with capital murder. To make matters worse, the victim’s mom believes her daughter was shot for declining romantic advances.
Source: Facebook
According to WBRC 6, Darius Hairston Miles, a junior whose now been kicked off the University of Alabama basketball team, stands accused of providing the firearm that killed 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris of Birmingham Sunday morning.
20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis was arrested along with Miles and is suspected of being the shooter. WRBC 6 reports that Tuscaloosa Police and University of Alabama Police were dispatched to the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday. Upon their arrival, the driver of the vehicle told authorities that the suspects had fired shots into his car, killing Harris.
According to police, Harris was not affiliated with the University of Alabama and the driver told police that he has returned fire and believed he had struck one of the suspects.
The most shameful part of all of this, outside of the killing itself, of course, is that, according to police and witnesses, the entire event began with what was described as a minor argument between Harris and the two men, which means this is potentially (and by that, I mean more than likely) a case of male fragility taken to its most tragic extreme.
Harris’ mom posted on Facebook that the young mother was killed because she “didn’t want to talk” to Miles.
A report from AL.com also notes that Heard said one of the suspects approached the car and was trying to talk to her daughter who told them she had a boyfriend, who was also in the car at the time. After a brief back and forth, the car was intentionally blocked in from leaving and one of the suspects approached with a gun.
“He walked up to the car and pulled a gun,’’ she said. Harris’s boyfriend had a gun as well.
Gunfire followed.
“He started shooting erratically, bullets going everywhere,’’ Heard said of the suspect.
“He said he was running away shooting backwards at the car. That’s when the bullets struck my daughter.”
Harris’s boyfriend was able to maneuver the car away from the scene and drove until he saw a police car, which was at the Walk of Champions.
Fortunately, after investigators spoke with witnesses and viewed surveillance footage, police were able to locate and apprehend Miles and Davis, one of whom had suffered non-life-threatening injuries from gunfire. It’s unclear which suspect was struck.
According to court documents, Miles has already admitted to giving Davis the gun he allegedly used in the shooting. The documents also state that he aided and abetted Davis in the shooting of Harris. Both men are currently being held without bond at the Tuscaloosa County Jail.
Despite Miles alleged admission, it doesn’t appear that he plans to plead guilty based on his attorney’s statement.
“Darius Miles and his family are heartbroken tonight over the death of Jamea Jonae Harris,” Miles lawyer, William White wrote in a statement. “While Darius has been accused of being involved with this tragedy, he maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court. Our firm’s own investigation is ongoing, and no further statement will be made at this time.”
Meanwhile, UA has released the following statement:
The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the campus community. We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
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.
The University offers comprehensive emotional and mental health support resources. Through the holiday, members of the campus community can call UAPD at 205-348-5454 to reach the dean for support or to connect with emergency counseling services. On weekdays, the Counseling Center is available for students at 205-348-3863. Student Care and Well-Being can be reached at 205-348-2461, and faculty and staff have access to the Employee Assistance Program by calling 800-925-5327.
A GoFundMe page has been launched for Harris’ 5-year-old son.
As of late Monday afternoon, the page exceeded its $5,000 goal and reached over $11K.
