University of Alabama Denies Freshman Kai Spears Was Present at Fatal Shooting with Teammate

Jason Duaine Hahn
·2 min read
Alabama guard Kai Spears (32) protests a foul call against the Crimson Tide during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide held at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
Alabama guard Kai Spears (32) protests a foul call against the Crimson Tide during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide held at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
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Jamar Coach/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

The University of Alabama is denying a new report that freshman basketball player Kai Spears was present during the fatal shooting involving former player Darius Miles in January.

Miles, 21, has been charged with the murder of 23-year-old Jamea Harris, who died in a shooting near the campus on Jan. 15.

As previously reported by Corvallis Gazette-Times, investigators believe Miles and another man, Michael Lynn Davis, 20, were in the back of Alabama player Brandon Miller's car when Davis fired into a nearby car, killing Harris.

Davis and Miles have both been charged with capital murder, Alabama Local reported.

During the shooting, the other vehicle's driver, Harris' boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, returned fire and wounded Davis, police said, according to the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, the New York Times published a report claiming a person familiar with the case identified Spears inside Miller's car during the incident.

RELATED: Alabama Basketball Player Charged with Murder of 23-Year-Old Woman

AUBURN, ALABAMA - FEBRUARY 11: Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena on February 11, 2023 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images); https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jamea-harriss-son For Jamea Harris’s Son ; BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - MARCH 05: Darius Miles #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts 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)

Michael Chang/Getty; gofundme; Jonathan Bachman/Getty Brandon Miller, Jamea Harris, Darius Miles

If confirmed, the report would place four players at the shooting. According to previous reports, Jaden Bradley, a freshman, was also at the scene.

"I'm sorry, I'm not going to be able to speak about that," Spears told the Times when asked about the claim.

PEOPLE reached out to Alabama Athletics for comment on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement to AL.com, an Alabama representative called the Times' story "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," they said. "From the outset, UA Athletics has fully cooperated with law enforcement and supported their investigation."

RELATED: Star Alabama Basketball Player Accused of Providing Gun Used in Killing of Woman

Spears' father, Christian, called the reporting "demonstrably false."

"I am just incredibly disappointed in the irresponsible and demonstrably false reporting by the NY Times. We are exploring all legal options at this time. I will have no further comment, instead deferring to the University of Alabama's statement on the matter," he told AL.com.

RELATED VIDEO: Darius Miles Charged with Murder of 23-Year-Old Woman

Harris' mom, DeCarla Heard, told the AP that she wants justice for her daughter, who leaves behind a 5-year-old son.

A GoFundMe page has been launched to support Harris' son, and has raised over $26,000. The page says of Harris, "She had a heart of gold and was loved by all."