Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller is facing ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit in Jamea Harris case. What do we know?
Though he now has a future in the NBA, it may be that the Charlotte Hornets star soon has to answer questions about his recent past and what occurred in it.
There is no way around the fact that a young mother lost her life in a situation when she was nothing more than a bystander. There is also no way to avoid the idea that the talented rookie had a role to play in the situation that ultimately ended her life.
Brandon Miller faces wrongful death suit related to Jamea Harris’ death
According to reports, the mother of the woman killed near the University of Alabama in January filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Friday against three individuals, including Charlotte Hornets rookie and former Crimson Tide star, Brandon Miller. The Alabama guard who was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, was named in the suit along with his teammate Darius Miles and Miles’ friend, Michael Davis, both of whom are facing capital murder charges in relation to the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris which occurred on January 15th.
It is understood that Harris’ mother, Decarla Raietta Heard, filed the suit in the Northern District of Alabama Western Division. Where details of the case itself are concerned, Harris’ estate which is represented by Heard, is seeking a jury trial and possible damages. The young mother is survived by a daughter who was five years old at the time of her death.
What was Brandon Miller’s involvement in the shooting?
As per previous reports, Miller was in fact the individual who brought the gun that was allegedly used by teammate Darius Miles during the shooting in Tuscaloosa. Reports in the immediate aftermath of the incident suggested that an altercation had taken place between Miller’s group and another which included Harris. Miles was dismissed by the team and as mentioned above is now facing capital murder charges. It’s worth noting that Tuscaloosa Chief Deputy District Attorney Paula Whitley said at that time when questioned about Miller’s role, “there’s nothing we could charge him with.”
There was also the testimony of Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit officer, Branden Culpepper, who explained that the firearm used belonged to Miller, who in turn gave it to Miles upon the latter’s request. Culpepper went on to state that the windshield of Miller’s car was hit twice by gunfire during the altercation. Ultimately, Miller who was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, was not charged with a crime but a police investigator testified in February that he was at the scene and that the murder weapon was supplied to Miles and Davis from the back of his car. Miller’s lawyer has denied that his client had any knowledge of the intent to use the weapon. That is of course a point that the lawsuit directly counters as it states: “Miles, Davis, and Miller knew or should have known that bringing a dangerous weapon to a dispute and discharging said weapon would likely result in harm to those around them.”
Regarding Miller himself, the 20-year-old is now set to embark on his first season in the NBA with a $49 million, four-year contract but did acknowledge the situation back in March when he said, “I never lose sight of the fact that a family lost one of their loved ones that night.”