Michael Davis not ‘the bad guy’ in death of Jamea Jonea Harris, attorney says

Michael Davis not ‘the bad guy’ in death of Jamea Jonea Harris, attorney says

Michael Lynn Davis, charged with capital murder in the deadly shooting on the Strip, is not the ‘bad guy’ in what happened early Sunday morning, his attorney said Thursday.

Davis, 20, and former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, 21, are charged in the slaying of 23-year-old Jamea Jonea Harris.

“Once all the evidence comes out, the public will see and understand who really is the ‘bad guy,’ in this tragic situation,’’ attorney John Robbins, who represents Davis, told AL.com, “and who put the events in motion that resulted in the death of Ms. Harris.”

Here is full coverage of the case

Davis is from Maryland but has been living and working in Alabama.

“My client and his parents are heartbroken at death of the young lady,’’ Robbins said. “They send their deepest sympathies and sincere prayers to her family and friends.”

“We ask that everyone would please withhold judgment until all the facts come out and for the media to refrain from portraying Michael as the ‘bad guy,’ Robbins said.

“Michael is a good person from a good family, and he intends to vigorously defend himself against these charges.”

Harris, the mother of a 5-year-old son, was in Tuscaloosa visiting her cousin and boyfriend for the weekend. They had gone to a club and then stopped to get something to eat when she encountered Miles and Davis.

Her mother told AL.com that the suspects were trying to talk with her and that she wasn’t interested because she had a boyfriend. The situation escalated, and she said the trio got blocked in from leaving and that one of the suspects approached the car with a gun.

Harris’s boyfriend also had a gun, and shots rang out.

Harris was struck once. Her boyfriend maneuvered their car away from the scene and stopped at the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium when he spotted a police car.

It was about 1:45 a.m. Harris was pronounced dead on the scene.

Investigators determined that the shooting happened in the 400 Block of Grace Street off of University Boulevard. One of the suspects – believed to be Davis – was also struck by gunfire but not seriously injured.

Both Miles and Davis were taken into custody later Sunday. They remain held without bond in the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

Charging documents against them state witnesses identified Davis as the shooter, and that Miles admitted to providing Davis with gun immediately prior to the shooting.

Attorneys for Miles said he is distraught over Harris’s death.

He is represented by attorneys Mary Turner, Kayla Griffin and Grace Prince of Turner Law Group, who released a statement on his behalf Wednesday.

No court dates in the case have yet been set.