Brandon Miller is reportedly named as a defendant in the lawsuit stemming from the shooting death of a Tuscaloosa woman
Brandon Miller will officially begin his NBA career on Wednesday. On Friday, he was reminded of how his college career ended.
The Charlotte Hornets rookie, who was taken second overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit stemming from the killing of a woman in Tuscaloosa during his year-long stay in Alabama. according to ESPN.
The lawsuit filed by the woman’s family also targets former Alabama basketball players Darius Miles and Michael Davis, the two men facing murder charges for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 15 shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris threatens.
Miller was not charged with a crime, even though he was identified as the person who supplied the weapon in question, because the prosecution basically found that there was no way to prove that he knew the weapon he was in late at night to a nightclub in downtown Tuscaloosa would be a felony.
Lawyers representing Harris’ mother, Decarla Raietta Heard, claim via ESPN that Miller and the other two men should have known what they were doing:
In the lawsuit, they allege that Miles, Davis and Miller “knew or should have known that bringing a dangerous weapon into an argument and firing that weapon was likely to result in harm.” Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Harris “as a direct or proximate result of the negligence or wantonness of each defendant” suffered serious injuries that resulted in her death.
Aside from no charges being filed, Miller saw no official consequences at Alabama, although the story followed him until the last 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 overwhelmed by San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen.
Miller continued to face questions about Harris’ death throughout the NBA draft process, calling the incident “a lesson learned.” The concerns didn’t hurt him on draft night, however, as the Hornets selected him second overall and signed him to a $9 million contract.
Kirby D. Farris, one of Heard’s lawyers, reportedly said they would like the defendants to answer more questions:
“You would like to hear the testimony of all three young men involved about what they did, what they said and what they saw,” Farris said. “The family, through their attorneys, wants the opportunity to investigate why and how the weapon was brought to the scene of an altercation 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 each individual’s level of guilt, if any.
On the field, Miller had to shut down in the middle of Summer League and struggled in the preseason. He shot 14 of 37 from the field (1 of 13 from 3-point range) and had 10 assists and 11 turnovers in four games.
The Hornets are scheduled to begin their season on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
