Report States Brandon Miller's Passenger Was 4th Alabama Player At Scene Of Shooting, School Has Denied
Alabama is set to start its postseason run in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday Birmingham. On Thursday night, the New York Times published a story that puts a fourth Alabama basketball player at the scene of the fatal shooting in January.
Over the past month, there have been reports that state only three Alabama basketball players were witnesses to the shooting. Now, a new publication has named freshman walk-on Kai Spears as the passenger in Brandon Miller's car on the fatal night that left a woman dead.
According to the report, Kai Spears was approached during the open locker room session on Wednesday and asked about his involvement in the incident. “I’m sorry, I’m not going to be able to speak about that,” Kai Spears told Billy Witz.
Kai Spears is the son of Marshall Athletic Director, Christian Spears
This new piece of the puzzle had gone un-reported until now, with the New York Times speaking with anonymous sources regarding the matter. On Wednesday night, Alabama released a statement refuting the report,
“Your story is inaccurate. Based on the information we have, there were no current student-athletes present at the scene other than Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley, who are both fully cooperating witnesses. From the outset, UA Athletics has fully cooperated with law enforcement and supported their investigation.”
Miller, the leading scorer for Alabama basketball this season, brought the gun that was ultimately used in the murder of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris in Tuscaloosa earlier this year, according to police testimony. Miller's attorney has stated his client was unaware the gun was in the car.
Miller’s former teammate, Darius Miles, and Michael ‘Buzz’ Davis are facing capital murder charges over their alleged involvement in the killing.
MORE: FORMER ALABAMA BASKETBALL PLAYER DARIUS MILES INDICTED ON CAPITAL MURDER CHARGES
After the news broke that Miller brought the gun to Miles, Alabama coach Nate Oats stated on that Miller is “not in any trouble” over his alleged involvement in the situation. Tuscaloosa chief deputy D.A. Paula Whitley explained that “there’s nothing we could charge him with” when asked why Miller had not been charged with anything.
There has been backlash towards Oats, Miller and the Alabama basketball program as the freshman star has continued to play without any punishment from the university or athletic department.
Alabama's Brandon Miller Has Extra Security At NCAA Tournament
The overwhelming story of the day centered around Brandon Miller and the presence of an armed security officer following him around Legacy Arena. According to a source close to the situation, Miller has been on the receiving end of threats, which led the school to have an armed officer with him at today's practice.
During his press conference, Alabama's Nate Oats spoke about the messages Miller had been receiving recently, which led to increased security. It should be noted, I did not see this specific security officer with Alabama last week during the SEC Tournament, including press gatherings or off-court activities.
“If you guys saw some of what I’ve seen sent his way, I think you would understand why that’s the case,” Nate Oats said on Wednesday. “The entire situation, as you know, is just a heart-breaking situation on all accounts. But some of the messages from people that can sit behind fake email addresses are something that nobody would ever want their son to see.”
We will wait to see what comes from this latest report, but Alabama strongly denied it on Wednesday night.