On Thanksgiving night, November 22, 2018, a 21-year-old African American man named Emantic Fitzgerald 'E.J.' Bradford Jr. was fatally shot by a police officer at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. The tragic event unfolded amidst the chaos of Black Friday shopping when an altercation between several men led to gunfire.
An 18-year-old and a 12-year-old bystander were wounded in the initial shooting.
In the immediate aftermath, the Hoover Police Department identified Bradford as the gunman, stating an officer had heroically 'taken out the threat.' However, this statement was soon retracted, with the department admitting their initial information was inaccurate and that Bradford was likely not the shooter. Bradford, who was legally authorized to carry a firearm, was seen brandishing the weapon in the moments following the first shots. Witnesses reported that it appeared he was trying to help escort other shoppers to safety. Two police officers who were about 75 feet away arrived on the scene within seconds and, upon seeing Bradford with his weapon out, one of the officers fired, striking him. An independent autopsy later revealed that Bradford had been shot three times from behind: in the back of his head, his neck, and his back.
The actual suspect in the initial mall shooting, 20-year-old Erron Martez Dequan Brown, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals a week later in Georgia. He was charged with attempted murder in connection with the wounding of the two individuals. The officer who shot Bradford was identified as David Alexander. Following an investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state's attorney general announced that the officer would not face criminal charges, concluding that the officer's actions were justified under the circumstances. The report stated the officer perceived Bradford as an 'immediate deadly threat.' Bradford’s family filed a federal lawsuit in response to his death.
