Alabama

[Dan]

Darius Miles asked Brandon Miller to bring gun used to kill Jamea Jonae Harris, police testify

Miller, an Alabama basketball player, was not charged. Tuscaloosa chief deputy D.A. Paula Whitley said, “There’s nothing we could charge him with."

www.al.com

Nate Oats: I made ‘unfortunate remarks’ about Brandon Miller’s involvement in Darius Miles case

The Alabama coach issued a statement Tuesday evening clarifying his answer to a question about Brandon Miller earlier in the day.

www.al.com

 

[Vinegarben]

Although Miller hasn't been charged it brings into question what Alabama's thinking on this matter is. To me if Miller brought the gun doesn't that make him an accessory?

 

[djkirkpatrick22]

I haven't read into this hardly at all, so my question is half asking and half speculation (maybe it's already been answered). With Miller getting these guys the gun, did he have any relation to the female at all? I just can't help but think that someone with his platform, why would he get involved if it didn't have something to do with him. Yes, I know some people can't stay out of their own way, just curious I suppose.

 

[2qtslow]

Although Miller hasn't been charged it brings into question what Alabama's thinking on this matter is. To me if Miller brought the gun doesn't that make him an accessory?

Police say there were bullet holes in the windshield of Miller's Dodge Charger. Does this make him a target as well? This is a very weird story.

 

[theNewGuy]

I was wondering what the common person's (not media) thoughts are on this.

Obviously this is a horrible situation.

To my understanding, the gun was legally owned by Darius Miles and Darius requested that Brandon bring the gun to him.
And then another guy used the gun.

There's no legal action that can be taken against Brandon.

Did Brandon do anything wrong?
I think that all depends on how much he knew going into and during the situation.
Which from the article seemed like he knew enough to know that he wasn't providing the gun for self-defense.

I think he should at least be suspended for the rest of the season, including playoffs, if I'm interpreting the situation right.
NIL money for him will likely dry up regardless, with businesses not wanting to align with him.

Unfortunately, I think Alabama will take the, "no legal action is being taken, so he did nothing wrong" approach.

 

[theNewGuy]

I haven't read into this hardly at all, so my question is half asking and half speculation (maybe it's already been answered). With Miller getting these guys the gun, did he have any relation to the female at all? I just can't help but think that someone with his platform, why would he get involved if it didn't have something to do with him. Yes, I know some people can't stay out of their own way, just curious I suppose.

The first article Dan posted has an account of the events.

 

[Vinegarben]

Police say there were bullet holes in the windshield of Miller's Dodge Charger. Does this make him a target as well? This is a very weird story.

Didn't see that report. Just curious how it works If he did supply the gun. Sad story for sure.

 

[eas23]

I was wondering what the common person's (not media) thoughts are on this.

Obviously this is a horrible situation.

To my understanding, the gun was legally owned by Darius Miles and Darius requested that Brandon bring the gun to him.
And then another guy used the gun.

There's no legal action that can be taken against Brandon.

Did Brandon do anything wrong?
I think that all depends on how much he knew going into and during the situation.
Which from the article seemed like he knew enough to know that he wasn't providing the gun for self-defense.

I think he should at least be suspended for the rest of the season, including playoffs, if I'm interpreting the situation right.
NIL money for him will likely dry up regardless, with businesses not wanting to align with him.

Unfortunately, I think Alabama will take the, "no legal action is being taken, so he did nothing wrong" approach.

"How much he knew" is a relative term. If someone asks you to bring a gun to a busy downtown bar after midnight, they're probably not going out for target practice.

 

[Nuke Dukem]

So the player who was out for the season with an injury is booted from the team. The other two - play on. Hmm. Go figure. I know they have not been charged….yet. But still.

 

[theNewGuy]

"How much he knew" is a relative term. If someone asks you to bring a gun to a busy downtown bar after midnight, they're probably not going out for target practice.

That's exactly why he can't be legally charged but should still face some sort of consequence

 

[BashCtIllini]

So the player who was out for the season with an injury is booted from the team. The other two - play on. Hmm. Go figure. I know they have not been charged….yet. But still.

So if I'm understanding this correctly, Miller drives them to the bar and says this line is too long I'm going home. Being a potential All American athlete doesn't give you a chance to cut in line? I guess Alabama is a football school.

Ok so he goes home, other guys stay. One hits on a girl who turns him down. He decides no one turns me down I'm going to murder her??? So he texts Miller to bring his gun, because again, no one turns him down, this girl needs to be eliminated. They block this girl in with their vehicles and he walks up and shoots her in the face. What in the hell is going on in this situation? I'm sure it was more than just no thanks I've got a boyfriend. I'm sure there was some jawing back and forth throughout the night, but still, this is worth killing for?

Now I only specialize in Bird Law and don't have any fancy legal book learning, but if I'm on a jury and I hear you brought a gun, or gave the gun AND used your vehicle to block the victims escape, you're going to jail. I could see Miller getting off for giving a gun to someone who then gave it to someone else (I could also see him going down for that, Bird Law is fuzzy in this respect), but when you also block in the victim, now I have trouble saying you had no involvement. A reasonable person would know that this person asking for the gun at a bar past midnight was not intending to use it for legal purposes. Miller could say I thought he just wanted to scare someone, but still you bringing that gun created the situation where a shooting could occur. Is his far enough removed from liability for the ultimate outcome to avoid punishment?

 

[battle]

the article was poorly written - a lot is not clear .... miller brought loaded gun ... and then his car and another car blocked in the victim's car so they couldn't leave??? ... and that is why his car was hit with two bullets ??? what is the timeline ??? was shooting within minutes or an hour ??? is miller watching while miles takes gun and then threatens and then shoots??? when does miller block in victims car??? - before or after giving gun - either way it aids the shooting that follows. I don't see how the act of bringing loaded gun AND using his car to block in victim is not an accessory. or at least, it is not 'wrong spot wrong time' as coach claims. I hope IL never faces this but if I would hope our coaches and Josh would investigate and if our student's judgment and actions closely contributed to murder, would suspend

 

[Point-Illinois]

Link

Another article on it from Yahoo sports.

I don’t know the layout of the parking lot or how the car the victim was in was parked.(the article above says they were able to drive away. Did they hit something? Smash into Miller’s car, drive away unobstructed so they weren’t really “blocked”…etc)

But if it can be proven that Miller purposefully parked the car to block any sort of escape route, and knowingly brought a gun to the scene where he just blocked said escape route, I think it could be legally inferred that he knowingly helped commit a crime.

Now whether or not he knew it was going to be murder…it might be tough to make that leap. It seems obvious in hindsight but he could easily lie and say he didn’t know the gun was loaded or that it was going to be used at all.

But if through text/testimony/video (security camera) proof, the DA can prove with certainty that Miller blocked the victims car in to keep the victim from escaping whatever harassment was about to befall her (turned out to be her murder) then they can probably tag Miller legally.

That’s a lot of ifs…so we shall see what happens.

Guys “step away” from programs and get kicked off of teams all the time for making poor judgement decisions. Bringing a gun to a guy that was obviously not in the right state of mind is near the top of the list. He should be suspended for the season.

No need to abandon him though. Some mentorship, counseling, contrition, positive deeds, and good publicity would do the young man some good over the next few months leading up to the draft…but that sort of lack of situational awareness and poor decision making needs to have consequences.

Didn’t Texas fire Chris Beard even though he didn’t legally “do something wrong”?

 

[Nuke Dukem]

My guess is if he was averaging 1.7 pts and Alabama was 4-23 instead of 23-4 he would already be suspended.

 

[Point-Illinois]

My guess is if he was averaging 1.7 pts and Alabama was 4-23 instead of 23-4 he would already be suspended.

Cynical…but most likely true and I agree.

Maybe Oats and/or Alabama will surprise us?

 

[RockyMtnIllini81]

There is probably a lot we don't know that may determine whether Brandon Miller should face criminal charges. One thing seems very clear to me: Miller should not be playing basketball as of today. Kids get suspended for "violating team rules" all the time. If Oats doesn't have a rule that would prohibit players from carrying loaded guns in campus town, maybe he should review his team rules.

 

[2qtslow]

My understanding of the facts includes the following: Miller drove Miles and Davis to a club, but left because he did not want to wait in line to get in. Miles owned a gun that he left in the back seat of Miller's car. Later, Miles texted Miller and asked him to return his "piece". I am not sure, but the text may have also said something about Davis being drunk and belligerent. Miller drove to their location and Miles took the gun from the backseat of the car. The gun was then transferred from from Miles to Davis, who ran around the victim's Jeep while firing eight times, including the shot or shots that killed the victim. The victim's boyfriend fired two shots in response. One struck Davis. During this time, two bullets went thru Miller's windshield. Given that ten total shots were fired, eight by Davis and two by the victim's boyfriend, and further given that one of the boyfriend's bullets hit Davis, it is logical to surmise that two of Davis' wild shots struck Miller's car.

Some people have inferred that Miller intentionally parked his car and blocked the narrow road preventing the Jeep's escape. My impression is that neither the police nor the prosecutors have bought into this inference. Did the Jeep ever try to leave? Was the road blocked in both directions? I think the answer to both questions is no, but I have not seen anything concrete on these questions.

If I have all of the above facts right, it is not clear to me what crime Miller could be charged with. Alabama could suspend him for any reason at all, I suppose.

 

[blackdog]

So if I'm understanding this correctly, Miller drives them to the bar and says this line is too long I'm going home. Being a potential All American athlete doesn't give you a chance to cut in line? I guess Alabama is a football school.

Ok so he goes home, other guys stay. One hits on a girl who turns him down. He decides no one turns me down I'm going to murder her??? So he texts Miller to bring his gun, because again, no one turns him down, this girl needs to be eliminated. They block this girl in with their vehicles and he walks up and shoots her in the face. What in the hell is going on in this situation? I'm sure it was more than just no thanks I've got a boyfriend. I'm sure there was some jawing back and forth throughout the night, but still, this is worth killing for?

Now I only specialize in Bird Law and don't have any fancy legal book learning, but if I'm on a jury and I hear you brought a gun, or gave the gun AND used your vehicle to block the victims escape, you're going to jail. I could see Miller getting off for giving a gun to someone who then gave it to someone else (I could also see him going down for that, Bird Law is fuzzy in this respect), but when you also block in the victim, now I have trouble saying you had no involvement. A reasonable person would know that this person asking for the gun at a bar past midnight was not intending to use it for legal purposes. Miller could say I thought he just wanted to scare someone, but still you bringing that gun created the situation where a shooting could occur. Is his far enough removed from liability for the ultimate outcome to avoid punishment?

The confrontation was between Davis (not a player) and the boyfriend of the girl he was hitting on.

 

[Emerson Bigguns]

Did a little dive onto a similar site dedicated to Alabama. Here is the general narrative from Alabama fans:

Miller, Miles, and Davis start out the night together. Miller decides not to go the bar the other two go into because the line is too long. Miles leaves his gun in Miller's car and Miller leaves. According to a lot of people on the site, it is not uncommon for law abiding citizens to be carrying when they go out on the town in Tuscaloosa.

Later Miller gets a text from Miles to come back with his gun. Alabama fans say Miles was known as a good kid from a good background. (Dad a veteran, Mom a cop) There was no reason for Miller to believe anything crazy was going down. Miller returns to the scene and tells Miles the gun is in his backseat inside a hat. Miles then tells Davis (his best friend from back home) where the gun is. Davis retrieves the gun from the car and starts shooting at the victim's boyfriend's car. The boyfriend shoots back. (Which is how Miller's car is hit.) The victim is hit by a bullet and killed. Davis is shot in the shoulder by the boyfriend.


Miles calls 911 for Davis from his apartment. Tells the cops Davis showed up at his door shot.

Boyfriend drives away and later flags down a cop telling them someone shot at them from a car. Victim is DOA.

Cops later inform Miles that they have all the footage from the parking lot, and know he was there & later confirm Miles' gun was one of the firearms involved.

Miller is questioned and released. Police confirm his side of the events with video and the testimony of others on site.


If this is all true, one could see how Miller evaded being held responsible. Its possible Miller didn't even know the gun was in his car until Miles text him. I'd probably want my friend to take the gun they left in my car back ASAP. A lot of questions out there for the public, but it seems authorities have a good idea what happened. Apparently, Miller was very cooperative and didn't even request a lawyer. His testimony went against that of Miles and Davis and matches the surveillance and other witness testimony.

 

[Chad Fleck]

He shouldn't be playing basketball. Sad story of foolish young people getting someone killed.

 

[Illiniwiththechief]

If you’re going to loan a person a gun for a crime, street 101 says report the gun stolen. Dumb kids.

 

[RabidDawgClassic]

There may or may not be evidence to charge Miller, but the whole story stretches the bounds of credulity. How likely is is that someone brings a gun to a guy at a bar and thinks everything is fine at the moment? Even if he was just innocently returning the gun to his buddy which was left in his car from a previous night, he was still out with his buddy and the gun that previous night, and I’m guessing they weren’t enforcing Girl Scout cookie sales.

 

[Emerson Bigguns]

There may or may not be evidence to charge Miller, but the whole story stretches the bounds of credulity. How likely is is that someone brings a gun to a guy at a bar and thinks everything is fine at the moment? Even if he was just innocently returning the gun to his buddy which was left in his car from a previous night, he was still out with his buddy and the gun that previous night, and I’m guessing they weren’t enforcing Girl Scout cookie sales.

I believe all the events were the same night. Miller left them at the club with the gun in his car and returned later.

 

[Calvin]

Did a little dive onto a similar site dedicated to Alabama. Here is the general narrative from Alabama fans:

Miller, Miles, and Davis start out the night together. Miller decides not to go the bar the other two go into because the line is too long. Miles leaves his gun in Miller's car and Miller leaves. According to a lot of people on the site, it is not uncommon for law abiding citizens to be carrying when they go out on the town in Tuscaloosa.

Later Miller gets a text from Miles to come back with his gun. Alabama fans say Miles was known as a good kid from a good background. (Dad a veteran, Mom a cop) There was no reason for Miller to believe anything crazy was going down. Miller returns to the scene and tells Miles the gun is in his backseat inside a hat. Miles then tells Davis (his best friend from back home) where the gun is. Davis retrieves the gun from the car and starts shooting at the victim's boyfriend's car. The boyfriend shoots back. (Which is how Miller's car is hit.) The victim is hit by a bullet and killed. Davis is shot in the shoulder by the boyfriend.


Miles calls 911 for Davis from his apartment. Tells the cops Davis showed up at his door shot.

Boyfriend drives away and later flags down a cop telling them someone shot at them from a car. Victim is DOA.

Cops later inform Miles that they have all the footage from the parking lot, and know he was there & later confirm Miles' gun was one of the firearms involved.

Miller is questioned and released. Police confirm his side of the events with video and the testimony of others on site.


If this is all true, one could see how Miller evaded being held responsible. Its possible Miller didn't even know the gun was in his car until Miles text him. I'd probably want my friend to take the gun they left in my car back ASAP. A lot of questions out there for the public, but it seems authorities have a good idea what happened. Apparently, Miller was very cooperative and didn't even request a lawyer. His testimony went against that of Miles and Davis and matches the surveillance and other witness testimony.

I applaud the effort to stick to the facts, but you have therefore violated the terms and conditions of the internet my friend.

/s

 

[Yost]

Apparently, Miller was very cooperative and didn't even request a lawyer. His testimony went against that of Miles and Davis and matches the surveillance and other witness testimony.

Requesting a lawyer doesn't make you uncooperative and certainly doesn't factor into charging decisions.

If the police are alleging that Miller blocked in the jeep as that Yahoo article says, then Miller should be incredibly grateful that he's an athlete in Tuscaloosa. The government frequently charges people over a heck of a lot less than what's alleged here.