Darius Miles is suspected of involvement in the incident early on Sunday
Darius Miles #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide blocks a shot by Kobe Brown #24 of the Missouri Tigers © Getty Images / Michael Chang/Getty Images
Darius Miles, a collegiate basketball star with the University of Alabama, has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman close to the university’s Tuscaloosa campus early on Sunday morning.
Miles, 21, and another man, 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis, were arrested after allegedly opening fire at a vehicle at a location known as ‘the Strip’ around 1.45am local time on Sunday, according to a report by ABC News.
A woman, Jamea Jonae Harris, 23, was shot during the incident and was later pronounced dead.
One of the two suspects was also shot when someone in the car returned fire, though the identity of this person has not yet been revealed. It is not thought that their injuries are life-threatening.
Investigators are looking into reports that the two parties had engaged in a verbal altercation before shots were fired.
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“At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on the Strip,” said Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Police.
Miles is a junior at the University of Alabama and played forward for the Crimson Tide basketball team. He did not play in the team’s game against Louisiana State University on Saturday after reportedly sustaining an injury to his ankle.
The University of Alabama released a statement shortly after Miles’ arrest, in which it confirmed that he had been dropped from the team following his arrest.
“We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles; he has been removed from campus and is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team,” the university wrote, while also confirming that counseling services had been made available to students.
“The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and wellbeing of the campus community,” the statement continued.
“We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”
