University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was charged with capital murder on Sunday along with another man after a fatal shooting on the Tuscaloosa Strip.
At about 1:45 a.m. a vehicle pulled up to a University of Alabama police car along the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium seeking help, The Birmingham News reported Sunday.
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Inside they found passenger Jamea Harris, 23, dead of a gunshot wound, Capt. Jack Kennedy told the newspaper.
The driver, who was not identified, told police that someone had opened fire and he had fired back in self-defense, possibly striking a suspect.
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Witness interviews and video footage led police to Miles, 21, and Michael Lynn Davis, 20. .
“At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip,” said Kennedy, adding that the parties had no pre-existing relationship.
One suspect was hit, though police did not say which one, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Miles was heard speaking to someone, saying tearfully, “I swear I love you more than you can imagine,” as he was loaded into the police car.
The basketball player was a reserve on the Crimson Tide and was already going to miss the season with an ankle injury.
He was immediately thrown off the team, his bio yanked from the athletic department website.
“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,” UA Athletics said in a statement. “Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation.”
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With News Wire Services
