Alabama's Brandon Miller on shooting death: 'Whole situation is just really heartbreaking'

Alabama basketball forward Brandon Miller spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday since a police investigator testified on Feb. 21 that the gun in the fatal Jan. 15 shooting on the Tuscaloosa Strip had been brought to the scene in Miller's car.

"I never lose sight of the fact that a family lost one of their loved ones that night," Miller said. "This whole situation is just really heartbreaking. Respectfully, that's all I'm going to be able to say on that."

Former Alabama player Darius Miles, 21, and Michael Davis, 20, who is not affiliated with the basketball program or university, were arrested and charged with capital murder on Jan. 15 after the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris.

Miller has not been charged with a crime, and his attorney said Miller never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange and never knew illegal activity involving the gun would occur.

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Investigators believe the gun belonged to Miles, 21, but believe Davis, 20, pulled the trigger. Both have been jailed without bond since Jan. 15.

Miller has not sat out any games since the incident, and that has received some public criticism, including from Harris' family. DeCarla Cotton told USA TODAY it was "unimaginable" that Alabama allowed him to play the next day.

After the South Carolina game on Feb. 22, coach Nate Oats said he and the administration decided for Miller to play because Oats and UA "make decisions based on available facts, and that's what we did here."

Miller was asked Wednesday how he would respond to the public criticism that he has not sat out any games.

"I just lean on my teammates," Miller said. "We just go places to get wins."

That game began the constant boos whenever Miller had the basketball and frequent chants of "lock him up."

"We hear the chants," Miller said Wednesday. "We just really lean on each other to go to places like that and pull out tough wins."

Alabama won't play until Friday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the SEC tournament in Nashville. The Crimson Tide won the SEC regular season championship and earned the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament. In its first game Friday, Alabama (26-5) will face the winner of No. 8 seed Florida and No. 9 seed Mississippi State.

Oats was asked Wednesday how he has seen Miller handle the past few weeks.

"He's taken this whole situation seriously from Day 1," Oats said. "It's a tough situation for all of us. It's just sad, to be honest with you. I never thought Brandon was flippant with any of it ever."