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Alabama guard Kai Spears was named the fourth Crimson Tide player allegedly present in the Jan. 15 shooting that killed Jamea Harris near campus. The New York Times reported that Spears was with teammates Darius Miles, Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley at the time of the incident.
However, the University of Alabama refuted the report and was adamant that only Miller and Bradley were present at the scene. Both players have been cooperating with the investigation. Miles was dismissed from the team and indicted on a capital murder charge, along with alleged shooter Michael Lynn Davis, earlier this month.
"Your story is inaccurate," Alabama said in a statement. "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. From the outset, UA Athletics has fully cooperated with law enforcement and supported their investigation."
Fans on Twitter quickly reacted to the story, considering Alabama will start its NCAA Tournament campaign on Friday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Some were calling out the New York Times for its report, while others want Alabama to tell the truth.
Here are some of the comments on Twitter:
While Darius Miles was immediately removed from the team, Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley's alleged presence at the scene emerged a few weeks later. Miller was accused of driving the gun to the scene after Miles requested him to do so. Miles is the owner of the weapon.
However, Miller's attorney denied that his client saw or touched the gun. The star freshman is not facing any charges, while Bradley was in a different car tailing Miller, according to the New York Times.
Kai Spears refused to comment on the report by the New York Times. Spears was a walk-on and the son of Christian Spears, who is the athletic director at Marshall University.
Kai Spears, Brandon Miller decline to comment on recent report
Kai Spears and Brandon Miller were present at the team's practice on Wednesday, ahead of their matchup against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. While Miller declined to comment on the recent New York Times report, Spears made a brief statement on the matter.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going to be able to speak about that," Spears said.
The alleged involvement of three current Alabama players in this controversy shrouds their season ahead of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide, the No. 1 overall seed, have the second-best odds of winning the national title behind the Houston Cougars, also a No. 1 seed.
