Alabama basketball player Darius Miles charged with capital murder

Miles, 21, and Michael Lynn Davis, 20, were charged with capital murder, which typically carries a harsher punishment than other murder charges under Alabama law, because shots were fired into a vehicle, Kennedy said, according to the AP.

Alabama Athletics said in an emailed statement: “We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team. Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation.” It added that “we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim from last night’s incident.”

The university said in a separate statement that it is “grieved by the incident,” adding that it is aware of the charge against Miles, who the university said “has been removed from campus.”

Video of Miles’s arrest showed him tearfully telling someone off camera, “I swear, I love you more than you imagine.” It was not immediately clear whether Miles or Davis had legal representation.

Hours before the shooting, the team had announced that Miles, a junior at the university, would be out for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury. He was injured at a preseason camp, the team said in a statement Saturday, and medical staff determined it was best to “withhold Miles from basketball activities moving forward and focus on rehabilitation.”

Miles, who played high school basketball in the D.C. area before joining Alabama, had been away from the team dealing with a “personal matter,” coach Nate Oats said on Dec. 28, according to AL.com. “It’s a personal matter, it’s not an injury and we’re not quite sure how long he’ll be out.”