Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Hornets forward Brandon Miller, ESPN reports

CHARLOTTE — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, the team’s 2023 draft pick.

According to ESPN, the lawsuit was filed by the family of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. She was shot and killed on Jan. 15 near the University of Alabama. Harris was with her boyfriend in Tuscaloosa and was visiting her cousin when she was shot, ESPN reports.

Miller attended school at Alabama and was a star player on the basketball team. The Hornets rookie was drafted earlier this year as the NBA’s No. 2 overall pick.

Miller is one of three men named in the lawsuit, ESPN reports. The other two men named are also former Alabama stars -- Darius Miles and Michael Davis -- who face capital murder charges in the case. Miller was not charged with a crime, though the ongoing case brought intense scrutiny during the second half of the season for Miller and the Alabama program.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Decarla Raietta Heard, is Jamea Harris’s mother. In the lawsuit, she alleges the three men “knew or should have known that bringing a dangerous weapon to a dispute and discharging said weapon would likely result in harm.” It alleges their “negligence or wantonness” led to Harris’ death.

According to ESPN, police say Miller was at the scene of the shooting and had the gun used in the back of his car. Miller’s attorney said he hadn’t touched the gun, didn’t know it would be used for anything illegal, and wasn’t part of its transfer, ESPN said.

Channel 9 has reached out to the Charlotte Hornets for comment.

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