What was Alabama star Brandon Miller’s role in a fatal shooting?
Though he does not appear to be facing any criminal charges, the Alabama freshman’s involvement in the tragic situation does not present a pretty picture.
As reports now confirm exactly what role he played in a scenario that led to a fatal shooting, there are obvious questions as to how this will all affect what appears to be a potentially bright future in the NBA.
Alabama’s Brandon Miller provided teammate Darius Miles with murder weapon
According to reports, Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller was in fact the induvial who brought the gun that teammate Darius Miles allegedly used in a January killing in Tuscaloosa. As per police testimony, the fatal shooting resulted in capital murder charges being brought against Miles, who in turn was dismissed from the team. In addition to Miles, it is understood that another man by the name of Michael Davis was also charged with capital murder, for his part in the shooting death of Jamea Jonae Harris.
To be clear, Miller’s role was not officially acknowledged until Tuesday’s hearing in which law enforcement officials gave testimony. To date, no charges have been brought against him, nor has the team itself taken any disciplinary action. To that end, Miller is still regarded as top tier lottery pick for the coming 2023 NBA Draft.
What do we know about Brand Miller’s actions
Speaking about the situation, Tuscaloosa chief deputy District Attorney Paula Whitley said that “there’s nothing we could charge him with.” Further to that, 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 also indicated that the windshield of Miller’s car was hit twice by gunfire during the altercation.
Alabama’s coach Nate Oats gets it wrong
Aside from Miller’s actions in the terrible situation, another aspect of the case that drew attention were the comments given by Alabama coach, Nate Oats who told reporters that his star player “hasn’t been in any type of trouble nor is he in any type of trouble in this case,” before adding that it was a case of “wrong spot at the wrong time.” Fair enough, however, it wasn’t long before many voiced their disgust with what they perceived as Oats not acknowledging the severity of the situation. For his part, Oats attempted to explain.
“I thought it was important for me to clarify the unfortunate remarks I made earlier,” Oats said in a statement. “This entire time I’ve tried to be thoughtful in my words relative to this tragic incident, and my statements came across poorly. We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects—they were witnesses only. Our understanding is that they have all been fully truthful and cooperative. In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris’s family.” Incidentally, Miller did in fact play Alabama’s next game after the incident which was just two days later. The freshman continues to lead the nation in points per game and is widely regarded as the No. 2 Crimson Tide’s best player. Quite frankly, he’s projected as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.