South Carolina Fans Chant ‘Lock Him Up’ At Star Alabama Player Who Reportedly Gave Gun To Former Teammate Before Deadly Shooting
South Carolina basketball fans chanted,”lock him up” at star Alabama player Brandon Miller who allegedly supplied a gun later in a deadly shooting.
Jamea Jonae Harris was killed in mid-January after former Alabama player Darius Miles and Michael Lynn Davis allegedly shot at a car she was riding in near the University of Alabama’s campus. On Tuesday afternoon, police told an Alabama grand jury that Miller gave Miles the gun that was used in the deadly shooting.
Alabama was at the University of South Carolina for Wednesday night’s game, and Miller was in the starting lineup. Fans at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, let the star forward hear it when he was at the free-throw line late in the first half.
“Lock him up! Lock him up!” the fans chanted.
The play was halted shortly after his missed free throw after a brief fight broke out in the stands. ESPN color commentator Seth Greenberg was upset to hear fans got into an altercation during the game.
“It’s unacceptable,” Greenberg said. “People need to be enjoying how hard these teams are playing and having some perspective. With everything that’s gone around this basketball team at Alabama for the last week, how about paying respects to Jamea Harris and her family.”
The fans also booed Miller when he had possession of the basketball.
Alabama went on to beat South Carolina 78-76 in overtime. Miller scored the game-winning basket with less than a second left. He scored 41 points with eight rebounds in 41 minutes played.
On Wednesday afternoon, Alabama’s Athletic Director Greg Byrne explained to ESPN’s College Gameday Podcast why the school would allow Miller to play in the game against South Carolina.
“Although we are not investigators, we do have a duty to evaluate whether anyone involved has violated the rules, policies, or standards of the university. We make that evaluation based on facts. We found some new facts yesterday; we found out some facts today,” Byrne said.
After the game, Alabama’s head coach Nate Oats walked back comments he made on Tuesday afternoon when he was asked about the police testimony to the grand jury.
Oats admitted that the team was aware of Miller’s situation, and we also added that the forward was in the “wrong spot at the wrong time.” He walked back his on Wednesday night after the game.
“I used a poor choice of words making it appear like I wasn’t taking this tragic situation seriously, which we have throughout the course of it,” Oats said. “I sincerely apologize for that.”
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