Alabama basketball's Kai Spears calls report placing him at shooting death scene 'just crazy'

BIRMINGHAM − Kai Spears said he doesn't know how his name got included in a disputed New York Times report that named him Wednesday as a fourth Alabama basketball player at the scene of the January shooting death of Jamea Harris in the area of the Tuscaloosa Strip. But the walk-on had little to say beyond that.

"Just crazy," Spears said after the Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, 96-75. "... I already put out a statement earlier this morning on the whole situation, so I have no further comment on the matter."

Spears wasn't the only one.

IN DISPUTE:A report that basketball walk-on Kai Spears was at fatal shooting scene has been disputed by UA and others

HIGHLIGHTS:Alabama basketball score updates vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Following the Times report, the UA Athletics Department, a Spears family attorney, Spears himself, Spears' father Christian Spears, who is the AD at Marshall, and UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne all issued statements condemning it for being inaccurate. As of Thursday evening, the Times story remained posted online but has been updated to include some of those statements.

"The report in the New York Times was 100% inaccurate and the writer had complete disregard for the truth," Spears' statement read.

Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles is one of two men charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Harris, 23, on Jan. 15. Police believe Miles' friend, Michael Davis, pulled the trigger and received the gun from Miles. Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller, according to the testimony of a Tuscaloosa police detective at a February hearing, received a text message from Miles asking him to bring Miles' gun to the eventual scene of the crime. Per Miller's attorney, Miller was already en route to pick up Miles when that text was sent. Alabama freshman point guard Jaden Bradley also was at the scene.

Miller and Bradley have not been charged with a crime and are considered cooperating witnesses by police.

Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.