Brandon Miller reportedly named as defendant in lawsuit over Tuscaloosa woman's shooting death
Brandon Miller will officially begin his NBA career Wednesday. He got a reminder of how his college career ended Friday.
The Charlotte Hornets rookie, who went second overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, was named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit over the killing of a woman in Tuscaloosa during his one year at Alabama, according to ESPN.
The lawsuit, filed by the woman's family, also targets former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and Michael Davis, the two men facing capital murder charges for their alleged roles in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris on Jan. 15.
Miller was not charged with a crime, despite being identified as the person who delivered the gun in question, as prosecutors determined that there was no way to prove that he knew the gun he was delivering to a downtown Tuscaloosa nightclub late at night would be used in a crime.
Lawyers representing Harris' mother, Decarla Raietta Heard, claim that Miller and the other two men should have known what they were doing, via ESPN:
In the lawsuit, they allege 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." In addition, the complaint alleges 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.
In addition to no charges, Miller saw zero official repercussions at Alabama, though the story haunted him up to the final minute of his time as an amateur. A five-star recruit, Miller quickly established himself as one of the top players in college basketball and led Alabama to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, where the team was stunned by San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen.
Miller continued to encounter questions about Harris' death during the NBA Draft process, calling the incident "a lesson learned." The concerns didn't hurt him on draft night, though, as the Hornets selected him second overall and signed him to a $9 million contract.
Kirby D. Farris, one of Heard's attorneys, reportedly said they would like the defendants to answer more questions:
"They would like to hear testimony from all three of the young men involved concerning what they did, said and saw," Farris said. "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."
On the court, Miller was shut down midway through Summer League and struggled in preseason, shooting 14-of-37 from the field (1-for-13 from 3-point range) with 10 assists and 11 turnovers in four games.
The Hornets are scheduled to begin their season Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
