Alabama’s star basketball player Brandon Miller spoke to the media for the first time regarding the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Miller, 20, told reporters the “whole situation is just really heartbreaking” on Wednesday.
“I never lose sight of the fact that a family has lost one of their loved ones that night,” Miller said before adding, “Respectfully, that’s all I’m going to be able to say on that.”
Miller was accused by police last month of giving now-former teammate Darius Miles the gun that another suspect, identified as Michael “Buzz” Davis, allegedly used to kill Harris near the school’s campus.
Davis and Miles face capital murder charges, but Miller has not been charged with a crime as of Thursday. “There’s nothing we could charge him with,” Tuscaloosa deputy D.A. Paula Whitley told .
Tuscaloosa Police detective Brandon Culpepper testified in court on Feb. 22 that Miller brought Miles’ gun to him shortly before the shooting, after Miles had asked him to do so over text, Local reports.
The victim’s mother, DeCarla Cotton, told she feels strongly that Miller should not be allowed to continue with team activities. “It’s just unimaginable, and it’s like his life is just going on. He took a brief pause and it didn’t stop. It’s like, OK, slap on the wrist and go play ball.”
Cotton told the outlet that Alabama is “worried about his career,” referencing Miller’s potential on the court. “But what about this five-year-old boy?” Cotton said of Harris’ son, Kaine. “He’s the true victim in all this. He won’t have a mother anymore to influence his growing up and who he’s going to be.”
On Monday, the Southeastern Conference named Miller the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats recently addressed the allegations against his star player. Oats said, “nobody knew that was going to happen,” regarding the shooting. “Can’t control everything anybody does outside of practice,” he added. “College kids are out; Brandon hasn’t been in any type of trouble nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Cotton refuted the coach’s statement, telling Mister Truth that having the gun involved at all led to her daughter’s murder. “When somebody says bring a gun to them, what do you think they’re going to do with it?’ ” she said. “And if there was no gun, she would not be dead.”
Additionally, Harris’ stepfather Delvin Heard slammed Oats’ comments about the shooting, calling the coach’s approach to the situation “godawful,” according to news. Heard said that Oats “crossed the line” when he made those comments.
Oats subsequently released a statement saying, “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.”
The coach’s statement did little for Harris’ family, they said. “The retraction meant nothing to us,” Heard told USA Today. “Over this five-week period, he has made a habit of making reckless statements.” Heard said that Oats’ statements were “not considering the victim in this whole thing, which is Jamea Harris.”