BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - MARCH 05: Darius Miles #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide drives with the ball against the LSU Tigers during a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 05, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Police charged University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, 21, and Michael Lynn Davis, 20 with capital murder after they allegedly shot and killed Jamea Jonae Harris, a 23-year-old mother of one.
The incident occurred early Sunday when Harris was riding in a car near “The Strip,” an area near the university’s campus. According to the victim’s mother, DeCarla Cotton, the shooting resulted from Harris brushing off Miles, who allegedly “took [her] baby’s life because she wouldn’t talk to him.”
Cotton took to Facebook to express her devastation as she shared photos of both young men accused of killing her daughter who was visiting at cousin at the university when she was killed. The grieving grandmother also changed her facebook profile picture to photo of her late daughter and her 5-year-old grandson, Kaine.
“She was a beautiful young woman who loved her family and most of all her 5-year-old son Kaine,” Cotton said in an interview with AL.com.
“She was just trying to enjoy her weekend with her cousin that attends the University of Alabama and her boyfriend.”
Harris’s cousin, Kennedi Henderson, described Harris as “a humble soul, and she was always a happy soul,” and someone who “kept the cousins together and pushed us to be the best us.”
According to Tuscaloosa police Capt. Jack Kennedy, the shooting appears to have resulted from a minor argument between the victims and suspects after encountering each other along The Strip. The driver of the car told police he returned fire in self-defense. He also believed that he may have struck one of the suspects.
Miles’ arrest video went viral on social media after the alleged killer sobbed why being apprehended by Alabama police on January 15.
A ring video of the alleged shooting also surfaced online, showing the moment Darius allegedly opened fire at Harris and the vehicle she was in on the strip. According to the clip shared by the NY Post, eleven shots were made in the clip, also showing two women running from the scene.
Cotton has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for Harris’s 5-year-old son, Kaine. In her post, she wrote:
“She had a heart of gold and was loved by all. It’s no way to express how much she will be missed! I thank everyone that has reached out with their prayers and condolences and I appreciate however you would like to help.”
