by Alabama basketball freshman Brandon Miller brought the gun used in the Tuscaloosa strip killing of a woman that led to capital murder charges for his now-former teammate Darius Miles and 20-year-old Michael “Buzz” Davis, according to police testimony Today.
Miles contacted Miller and told him to bring his gun to where they were, according to police.
When Miller arrived at the scene, Miles told Davis, “The heat is in the hat.” The. Branden Culpepper said that meant a gun was present.
Miles added: “There’s one in the head.” That, Culpepper said, meant a round in the chamber.
Miles moved his girlfriend back to get her out of the line of fire, Culpepper added.
Miller’s windshield was hit twice by gunfire in the shooting, police testified. Another Alabama basketball player, Jaden Bradley, was also at the scene of the shooting, according to testimony.
When asked by AL.com why Miller was not charged, Tuscaloosa Chief DA Paula Whitley said, “That’s not a question I can answer. There is nothing we can charge him with,” according to the law, she said.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said Tuesday that Miller is “not in any trouble” as a result of his alleged involvement.
“We knew about it. Can’t control everything everybody does outside of practice. Nobody knew it was going to happen. College kids are out, Brandon hasn’t been in any kind of trouble and he’s not in any kind of trouble in this case. Wrong place at wrong time,” Oats said.
The testimony came in Tuesday’s preliminary hearing for Miles (21) and Davis (20), who are both charged with the murder in Tuscaloosa of Jamea Jonae Harris (23) on January 15.
The testimony lasted more than 2 1/2 hours before Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik.
Miles is represented by Mary Turner; Davis by John Robbins.
Both lawyers asked for their clients to be released on bail. They claim their clients shot in self-defense.
Miles’ mother, Tracy Harris – a veteran police officer – and Davis’ mother, Annie Davis, both testified that they would make sure their sons would comply with all bond conditions and be present for future court appearances.
The judge has not decided on bail or whether the case should be sent to a grand jury.
Both Miles and Davis sobbed at the end of the court hearing. The two remain held without bond in the Tuscaloosa County Jail.
Harris, the mother of a young son, was in Tuscaloosa visiting her cousin and boyfriend over the weekend when she was shot in the early morning.
Here is full coverage of the case
At approximately 1:45 a.m. that Sunday, Tuscaloosa police and University of Alabama police were dispatched to the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium during a shooting.
A jeep had stopped there when he saw a University of Alabama police car. Harris was dead inside the vehicle, said Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Capt. Jack Kennedy.
Harris’ girlfriend, who drove Harris from the scene of the shooting, told police their vehicle had been hit by gunfire.
He had returned fire in self-defense and may have hit a suspect – believed to be Davis.
Investigators determined the shooting happened in the 400 Block of Grace Street off University Boulevard.
Harris’ mother, DeCarla Heard, told AL.com the ordeal began with the suspects trying to talk to Harris, who told them she had a boyfriend and wasn’t interested.
Court records state that Davis fired the fatal shots and that Miles admitted to giving Davis the gun.
It became known the day before the fatal shooting that the junior forward was ruled out for the season due to an ankle injury. Following the news of his arrest, it was announced that Miles was no longer on the team.
Testimony from today’s court session shows that everyone involved had gone to Twelve25 Sports Bar that evening.
Miller dropped Miles off at the club, but didn’t stay because the line was too long.
After leaving the club, Harris, her boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, and her first cousin, Asia Humphrey, stopped at a nearby barbecue for something to eat.
That’s when they met Davis, who was dancing in front of Harris’s Jeep.
Johnson told Davis that his girlfriend was not interested and that he should move in together. “It got a little elevated,” the detective said.
Miles and Davis walked away from the victim’s Jeep, but later returned.
Two vehicles – a Dodge Charger and a Dodge Challenger belonging to Miles’ teammates, Miller and Bradley – blocked the road where the Jeep was parked.
Miles and Davis went to Miller’s car and got something – believed to be the gun – out of the backseat.
Moments later, Culpepper testified, Davis began shooting through the driver’s side window of the Jeep.
He fired at least eight shots, some of them while running in an arc from the driver’s side around the back of the vehicle.
That’s when, the detective said, Miller’s Charger was hit by two bullets.
Johnson, the victim’s boyfriend, responded and punched Davis in the shoulder.
Harris was hit in the left side of her face.
The victims drove to the Walk of Champions where they found a police officer and stopped. Harris was pronounced dead there.
Culpepper testified that shortly after the shooting, police received a 911 call from Miles.
He called from University Downs flats to report that his friend had been shot.
Miles told the dispatcher, and later the police, that he was in the apartment when his friend – Davis – showed up with a gunshot wound.
Miles said he did not know where Davis was when he was shot or how it happened.
In later interviews, the detective said, Miles said he and his girlfriend picked Davis up downtown after he was shot.
Eventually, Culpepper said, police told Miles it was all caught on surveillance video from the Houndstooth Bar, and that’s when he admitted to being there during the shooting.
Culpepper said some of what happened was captured on the dashboard of Miller’s vehicle.
After learning that, he said, Miles admitted contacting Miller to bring him his gun and said Davis had gotten the gun from Miller’s vehicle.
He also admitted to moving his girlfriend out of the way before the shooting started.
Culpepper testified that Davis told investigators he was drunk on Tit’s tequila and didn’t remember what happened.
Defense attorneys argued that Miles and Davis could have been in fear.
They said they had seen a gun in the victim’s vehicle and noted that when they could have left the area before the shooting, they instead returned, turned off their vehicle lights and pulled over.
