Killing of Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr.

Emantic "EJ" Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., of Hueytown, Alabama, was 21 years old. He was born on June 18, 1997.[1] He attended Holy Family Cristo Rey High School in Birmingham and earned his diploma through the General Educational Development (GED) program.[7] Bradford had enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2017 and completed basic training, and was on leave in August 2018 before completing advanced individual training.[8] Bradford worked full-time and was a caretaker for his father, a former correctional officer, with cancer.[9]

On November 22, 2018, at approximately 9:52 PM local time, an altercation involving four people occurred near the Footaction and JCPenney stores on the second level of the mall.[10][11] One of the men – initially claimed to be Bradford and currently believed to be Erron Brown, who was later arrested by U.S. Marshals[12] – reportedly drew a weapon and shot 18-year-old Brian Wilson twice, before fleeing the area. Stray gunfire also hit a 12-year-old female bystander.[13] Within five seconds after Wilson was shot, two officers from the Hoover Police Department approached Bradford, who was armed. One of the officers immediately fired from behind at Bradford, who was running with gun in hand, and killed him.[2][14]

It subsequently transpired that Bradford's movements in the critical seconds were more complicated than originally thought.[15]

E.J. Bradford initially runs in the opposite direction (away from JC Penney),

creating a gap between himself and the gunshots. As he creates this gap, Bradford draws his

weapon and chambers a round. Bradford then charges back toward JC Penney, gun drawn.

— Report of Alabama Attorney General.[15]

Brian Wilson and the injured 12-year-old were taken to different hospitals; Wilson in serious condition with two gunshots to the torso and the 12-year-old in stable condition with a lodged bullet near her spine.[16] The mall was closed for the night.[16] The 12-year-old was found to have had a rib fractured in the initial shooting, but her spine was undamaged.[17] A 70-year-old woman had been injured by a fall while attempting to flee. She sustained multiple pelvic fractures, as well as internal bleeding and bleeding of the brain, and she was airlifted to Mobile.[18]

The Hoover Police Department turned all video and other collected evidence to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, which subsequently turned the investigation over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. All three agencies initially refused to release videos of the event.[19]

During the investigation into the shooting, an additional gun was found in the "Santa's Village" portion of the Galleria. Doubt grew that Bradford was the initial shooter. In a press conference, Captain Rector of the Hoover Police Department stated that the initial shooter would need to be determined by the investigation into that shooting. Captain Rector also stated that they believe the initial altercation may have more people involved than originally suspected, and clarified that a separate investigation by the Hoover Police Department would occur for the police shooting.[16] Late in the evening, the Hoover Police Department issued a correction saying that Bradford was not the shooter.[20][21] They said the shooter was not in custody. Furthermore, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency took over as lead investigator of the shootings.[22]

A suspect in the initial shooting, Erron Martez Dequan Brown, was arrested by U.S. Marshals at a relative's home in Fairburn, Georgia, on November 29. He was charged with the attempted murder of Wilson.[12][23]

On February 5, 2019, the Office of the Attorney General of Alabama released a report of its review of the evidence regarding the police shooting. They determined that David Alexander; "Officer 1", as he was referred to in the report, "identified E.J. Bradford as an immediate deadly threat to innocent civilians and thus shot Bradford to eliminate the threat," and therefore, that he, "did not commit a crime under Alabama law when he shot and killed E.J. Bradford and thus the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct preclude presentation of this case to a grand jury."[24][25] The report was strongly criticised by Bradford's family.[23]

The mall reopened the day after the shooting at 6 AM, and the two officers who were involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.[14] When it was reported that the 21-year-old deceased victim was not the perpetrator, the family of the victim raised demands that the Hoover, Alabama Mayor and Police Chief step down.[26]

Protests were organized by a Birmingham activist group called Justice League on the following Saturday. Protesters also called for a boycott of the Galleria.[27][28][29][30]

On November 26, 2018, a protest gathered outside Hoover City Hall, calling for the Hoover Police Department to release video from the police body cameras and mall surveillance cameras for public review. The protestors then shut down U.S. Highway 31, carrying signs reading "Black Lives Matter", "Justice for EJ", and "Justice starts with the truth", as they marched to the Riverchase Galleria, the site of the shooting.[31] Additional protests throughout the city of Hoover were organized in the following weeks in multiple shopping areas, public interstates, and private residences of Hoover City Officials, some resulting in the arrest of participants.[32]

• Surveillance Video of Shooting at Riverchase Galleria (November 22, 2018) on YouTube