At a hearing Tuesday in Tuscaloosa in the capital murder case of former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and his associate, Michael Davis, police testified that the gun used to kill Jamea Harris was delivered by star freshman Brandon Miller. In the hearing, police said Miles sent Miller a text asking him to bring a gun to where the shooting eventually took place. It also appears that Miles and Davis were in Miller's car prior to the Jan. 15 shooting, police said.
When Miller got to the scene, he told Miles that the "heat was in the hat," which meant the gun was present, according to Detective Branden Culpepper. Miles added, "there's one in the head," which meant there's a bullet in the chamber, according to Culpepper. Investigators said the exchange took place while Miles and Davis were in the back of Miller's car. Miller's car was hit twice by gunfire during the shooting.
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Despite the exchange, the Tuscaloosa police chief said Miller is not facing any charges because "there's nothing we can charge him with according to the law."
In his regularly scheduled press conference on Tuesday, coach Nate Oates was asked about the testimony given at the hearing. Oates said had been aware that Miller was at the scene and he was fully cooperating with the law.
"It's sad," Oats said. "We knew about that — can't control everything anybody does outside of practice. Nobody knew that was going to happen. College kids are out, [Brandon Miller] hasn't been in any type of trouble or is in any type of trouble in this case. Wrong spot at the wrong time."
Prior to this testimony, Miles told authorities that he provided the gun that killed Harris during the shooting, which took place on The Strip, a nightlife district in Tuscaloosa, police said. After the arrest, the University of Alabama dropped Miles from the team. He and Davis have been held without bond.
