Protesters block traffic on U.S. 31 in Hoover, march to Galleria over police shooting

About 150 people created a blockade and brought traffic to a standstill on U.S. 31 in Hoover tonight in protest of a Hoover police officer shooting and killing a 21-year-old Hueytown man at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night.

The street blockade started near the Hoover Municipal Center about 7 p.m. Then about 80 of the protesters, waving signs and chanting, marched down U.S. 31 to the Galleria and went to the spot where Emantic Bradford Jr. was killed inside the mall.

The police officer shot Bradford as he fled the scene of another shooting that took place inside the mall just seconds before. Police said Bradford had a gun in his hand as he fled the scene, and initially said he was the shooter in the first incident.

But the next day, police said their initial conclusion was incorrect and that, while “Bradford may have been involved in some aspect of the altercation, he likely did not fire the rounds that injured the 18-year-old victim.”

Tonight, the protesters shouted and carried signs indicating they want justice for Bradford and want investigators to release police body camera video and other video from the incident. They want the officer held accountable for his actions, they said.

Some of the motorists who were blocked on U.S. 31 argued with the protesters to move out of the way, but the protesters refused. Police arrived shortly thereafter, allowed the protest to continue and directed motorists to turn around.

The protesters then announced they were going to march to the Galleria and did so, with police trailing behind them with blue lights flashing and officers blocking traffic to prevent collisions.

Once inside the mall, the protesters gathered in front of the Footaction store and continued chanting and singing. Some hurled insults at police who stood by watching, calling them murderers and white supremacists. The police gave no reaction to that.

There were not many people in the mall, but some who were there stopped, watched and recorded the protest on their phones. Some stores closed their doors and lowered their gates, including Footaction, which was already closed when the protestors arrived.

There also was a moment of silence for Bradford, which ended with a woman saying repeatedly that his blood was crying out for justice. By about 8 p.m., the protesters left the mall and marched back to the Hoover Municipal Center, where they gathered briefly before dispersing about 9 p.m.

Shonna McDaniel of Hueytown, one of the protesters, said she came tonight because there are too many innocent black men and women killed by police for no apparent reason.

“They don’t even give us a chance to be arrested,” she said. “We are immediately shot on sight.” White people may not understand, but “our skin criminalizes us immediately, she said. “It just has to stop.”

McDaniel said she did not know Bradford personally, but it could just as easily have been her brother or cousin shot to death, she said. She doesn’t believe police are being held accountable and doesn’t understand why investigators don’t release the videos they have of the incident.

“I don’t know if they’re protecting this man or if justice will be served,” she said. “They killed Emantic in cold blood basically. They murdered him. … His parents can’t even have an open casket funeral for him. He was shot in the face.”

The protesters are just trying to bring attention to what they see as a great injustice, she said.

She knows her generation’s grandparents had to march for civil rights, but she is surprised that people in the Birmingham area are having to do it again, she said. “I just thought in my lifetime it had gotten better.

“If they release the tape, this would all go away,” McDaniel said. “Just be transparent and stop protecting a murderer.”

Cheryl Yarbrough, a protester from Birmingham, said she came tonight because she has a son the same age as Bradford.

“I can imagine what that mother may be going through,” she said. “I have to do my duty and get justice for him just like I would hope someone would do if it were my son. … It’s a shame that in this day and age we’re still having to protest like we were in the the '50s and '60s.”

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato tonight at 5 p.m. said he understands that people are eager to see any video footage of the Thanksgiving night incident but said all evidence, including videos, already were turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which has taken over the investigation.

It will be up to ALEA to decide when to release the videos, Brocato said.

ALEA sent out a statement earlier today, saying it does not release information about pending investigations and that, when the investigation is complete, all evidence will be turned over to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

The mayor also expressed his “deepest sympathy” for the family and friends of Bradford, saying “the loss of any fellow human being is deeply tragic, whatever the circumstances.”

See all stories about the Riverchase Galleria shooting here.

This story was updated at 10:20 p.m. with additional comments from protesters.