A Tuscaloosa attorney has issued a statement on behalf of Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller after it was revealed Tuesday that his teammate Darius Miles retrieved the gun allegedly used in a deadly shooting on the Strip last month from Miller's car.

At a joint preliminary hearing and bond hearing at the Tuscaloosa County Jail Tuesday, investigators said for the first time that Miles had ridden with Miller in his Dodge Charger on the night leading up to the shooting and left his .40 caliber handgun in Miller's car.

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Miller left the area because he didn't want to wait in line to get into a nearby restaurant and bar, and when Miles and his friend Michael Davis reportedly felt threatened after an exchange of words with another group of people on the Strip, Darius Miles reportedly texted Miller and asked him to come back to the Strip and bring him the gun.

Miller drove back to the area, and Miles reportedly got his own gun out of the backseat and handed it over to Davis with a round chambered and ready to fire.

Soon after, 12 shots rang out -- eight from Miles' semiautomatic handgun and four more from a revolver carried by the driver of the Jeep in which 23-year-old mother Jamea Harris was fatally shot.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys disagree about who shot first.

Since news broke of Miller's proximity to the tragic death, Tuscaloosa attorney Jim Standridge has released a statement on the star's behalf Wednesday afternoon, included in its entirety below.

As one of the attorneys for Brandon Miller, I want to provide additional facts on Brandon’s behalf in response to misstatements in reporting yesterday regarding Brandon. Brandon and his family are horrified and saddened by the events that led to the senseless death of Ms. Harris and continue to offer their most sincere thoughts and prayers for her family.

On January 14th Brandon played in a basketball game in the afternoon and later was asked by Darius Miles for a ride to the Strip area to go to a night club. Mr. Miles brought his legal handgun and left it in the back seat of Brandon’s vehicle. Brandon never saw the handgun nor handled it.

Further, it is our understanding that the weapon was concealed under some clothing in the back seat of his car. Brandon did not go inside the nightclub. Instead, he left and went to a restaurant to eat. At approximately midnight, Mr. Miles began asking Brandon to come pick him up so that they could leave and go to another location and join friends. Brandon advised that he would be along later, and, approximately one hour later, Brandon began to leave the restaurant to pick up Mr. Miles, but first had to give another companion a ride home.

Before Brandon arrived to pick up Mr. Miles, Mr. Miles and the individual with Ms. Harris apparently exchanged words. Without Brandon knowing any of this context, and as Brandon was already on the way to pick up Mr. Miles, Mr. Miles texted Brandon and asked him to bring him his firearm. Brandon subsequently arrived at the scene to pick up Mr. Miles. Brandon never got out of his vehicle or interacted with anyone in Ms. Harris’ party. He was never involved in a verbal altercation with Cedric Johnson or Mr. Davis. Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur.
Brandon did not block the Jeep driven by Mr. Johnson. In fact, Brandon had already parked on Grace Street when the jeep pulled up behind him. The street was never blocked by Brandon’s vehicle. Gunfire erupted shortly after the jeep arrived and Brandon’s vehicle was struck by bullets fired from one of the guns. Brandon quickly left the area when gunfire erupted. As soon as he was notified that someone had been injured and the police wished to speak with him, he has fully cooperated with law enforcement’s investigation.

All of the events described above are clearly captured on video. There is no dispute about Brandon’s activities during this evening.

Brandon has submitted to multiple interviews to assist law enforcement in further understanding the situation, he has volunteered to have his phone contents extracted as well as that of the contents of his automobile. He will continue to cooperate as any citizen should who has witnessed a serious incident. Brandon does not own a firearm and has never even handled a firearm. Moreover, he had no knowledge of any intent to use any weapon.

Miles and Davis, who have both been charged with capital murder, were denied bond Tuesday. Miller has not been charged with a crime and prosecutors have indicated they do not intend to pursue any against him.

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