Two former Alabama basketball players were recently named in a wrongful death lawsuit in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris, who was shot dead in January
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Western Division by Harris' family. Harris and her boyfriend were visiting Tuscaloosa when she was shot in the early morning hours of January 15.
Former Crimson Tide star Brandon Miller, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Darius Miles, who was kicked off the team shortly after the shooting, and Miles' childhood friend Michael Davis were all named in the suit.
Miles and Davis have both been charged with capital murder, while Miller has not been charged with anything.
A police investigator testified in February that Miller had been at the scene of the fatal killing and that the gun police say was used in the killing of Harris was retrieved from the back of Miller's car.
Miller's attorney Jim Standridge said Miller had "no knowledge of any intent to use the weapon." Standridge added that Miller never touched the gun, wasn't involved in its exchange or knew that illegal activity involving the weapon would occur.
The suit's plaintiff, Decarla Raietta Heard, is Harris' mother and the representative of her estate.
Per ESPN, the lawsuit alleges that 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." It also claims that "as a direct or proximate consequence of the negligence or wantonness of each of the defendants," Harris was caused to suffer serious injuries resulting in her death.
Heard's lawyer, Kirby D. Farris, said the family wanted to know more of what happened the morning Harris died. Farris noted that a person can be liable in a civil action and not necessarily be guilty of a criminal act.
"They would like to hear testimony from all three of the young men involved concerning what they did, said and saw," Farris said, according to ESPN. "The family would like the opportunity, through their attorneys, to investigate why and how the gun was brought to the scene of a confrontation that resulted in the death of their daughter. Once we have had the opportunity to evaluate the evidence in the case, we can make decisions about the degree of culpability, if any, of each."
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