HOOVER, Ala. – A privately-commissioned autopsy shows Emantic Bradford Jr. was shot in the back by Hoover police who were responding to a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria.
The Bradford family attorney, Benjamin Crump, announced the results of the autopsy Monday morning — the same day Hoover police and city officials announced they would not release “critical information” about the shooting at the request of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is investigating the shooting.
The shooting resulted in the death of 21-year-old Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., and an 18-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl were wounded.
ALEA is investigating the shooting.
The announcement came the same morning the Bradford family announced a privately-commissioned autopsy showed that Bradford was shot from behind multiple times.
The City of Hoover released a statement in response to the announcement saying in part: “We couldn’t agree more with Attorney Crump’s call for a thorough and complete investigation and for witnesses to come forward to assist in the search for the truth. We also agree with his call to refrain from speculation until the investigation is completed. Our sympathies are with the Bradford family as they, the community, and the City of Hoover, await ALEA’s complete investigation.”
Read the full statement from the City here:
.@AttorneyCrump says the forensic evidence shows EJ Bradford was shot running away. The family says they believe, based on this evidence, the officer should be charged with a crime.
At this time, the @HooverPD has not released who the officer is, nor any charges for them. @whnt
— Courtney Crown (@CrownJournalist) December 3, 2018
In a letter written to the city and the police department Saturday, ALEA urged the city and the department not to release any information or evidence that could “jeopardize” the investigation. ALEA said that includes paper documents, records, reports, written statement, electronic records, video, and audio recordings and physical evidence.
Hoover Councilman Derrick Murphy Thursday called for community unity in the wake of the shooting and urged Hoover officials to release video of the shooting Monday, if ALEA failed to do so.
But in today’s news release, the City of Hoover said, “Hoover officials are respecting the requests of ALEA to not release any information at the risk of compromising the justice process for everyone involved.”
So far, the Hoover Police Department confirmed one of their officers shot Bradford during the chaos of the shooting at the mall on November 22. Police said Bradford wasn’t the gunman, but he had a gun that officers saw.
U.S. Marshals arrested Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, of Bessemer, in Fairburn, Ga., around 9 a.m. November 29. He waived extradition. Authorities brought Brown to Alabama and booked him into the Jefferson County Jail on a $125,000 bond.
Brown faces a charge for the attempted murder of Brian Wilson, 18, of Birmingham. A 12-year-old girl was the other shooting victim. No one has been charged in connection with that shooting and police have not indicated who they suspect fired the shot that injured her.