Drowning stuns man's cousin

Suspect fled cops, jumped in lake

RALEIGH -- D. Edward Miles first learned from a television newscast that his cousin had drowned in a lake in Southeast Raleigh on Friday afternoon while fleeing the police looking for him in connection with a home invasion robbery.

Miles, 40, of Zebulon said his cousin Gabriel Lee Miles, 24, liked fast cars, usually worked in restaurants and has a twin brother.

Edward Miles said he last talked with his cousin about a month ago and he seemed OK.

"I was surprised," Miles said Saturday about his cousin being an armed robbery suspect. "He wasn't a trouble guy."

Officers with the Raleigh Police Department's Fugitive Task Force were looking for Gabriel Miles in the 4700 block of Trademark Drive to serve a warrant for his arrest on armed robbery charges, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said Saturday.

Police spotted Miles just before 4:30 p.m. Friday. Investigators said Miles, whose last known address was on Shanda Drive in North Raleigh, fled behind Southeastern Wholesale Tire on Trademark Drive and jumped into Carolina Lake, which is directly behind the business.

Miles was distancing himself from authorities when he slipped beneath the water's surface, police reported.

Despite the efforts of fire and EMS units and a dive team from Angier, attempts to rescue Miles failed. Law officers recovered Miles' body at 9:45 p.m., police reported.

Sughrue declined to discuss the details about the home invasion robbery earlier this month. He would only say that Gabriel Miles was a strong suspect.

"Probable cause was presented to a magistrate, and a warrant was issued for his arrest," Sughrue said.

Gabriel Miles had a criminal history over the past five years that included marijuana trafficking, court records show.

His criminal history in Wake County dates back to 2001, when he was convicted of felony trafficking in marijuana, state records show. He was convicted in 2005 for felony maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for the use, storage or sale of a controlled substance.

He was also convicted that year for a felony possession with the intent to sell and deliver marijuana and for a felony probation violation, court records show. Two years later, Miles was convicted of misdemeanor possession of marijuana, court records show.

The Major Crime Unit for the Raleigh police is investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning.

(News researcher Lamara Williams contributed to this report.)