Armed man killed by Hoover police at Riverchase Galleria was military man

Editor's Note: The most recent information about this incident can be found here.

The man shot and killed by Hoover police following a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night has been identified as 21-year-old Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. of Hueytown.

Some people have questioned whether Bradford was actually the person who shot an 18-year-old Birmingham man after a fight broke out on the second floor of the mall concourse or was mistaken for the shooter because he was carrying a gun.

Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis on Thursday night indicated Bradford was the shooter.

But this afternoon, when asked if police are certain that Bradford is the same person who shot the 18-year-old, Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said that would be something for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to determine in its investigation.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation because a Hoover police officer was the one who shot and killed Bradford after he reportedly was seen brandishing a gun as officers moved toward the scene of a shooting that police said took place seconds earlier.

Rector said the incident started at 9:52 p.m. when at least two men got into a physical confrontation on the second floor concourse of the mall, near the entrance to the Footaction store.

“During the fight, one of the males produced a handgun and shot the other male twice in the torso,” Rector said in a press release early Friday morning. “Two uniformed Hoover police officers providing security at the mall were in close proximity and heard the gunshots. While moving toward the shooting scene, one of the officers encountered a suspect brandishing a pistol and shot him. That individual, a 21-year-old male from Hueytown, was pronounced dead on the scene.”

Rector this afternoon said the incident that left Bradford dead and two other people with gunshot wounds probably was more involved than originally met the eye.

“There were probably more than two people involved in that original confrontation,” Rector said this afternoon.

Rector is asking anyone with videos from the incident to turn them over to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office so authorities can get a fuller picture of what happened.

A reporter for WBRC Fox 6 News today sent out a Tweet with a photo of a gun in the Santa’s Village section of the mall, saying that police confirmed they recovered a gun left in that location.

Rector this afternoon said he was not aware of another gun being found at the mall but did not rule that out.

Rector said the sheriff’s office will investigate both shootings that took place at the mall because they are so related.

Sgt. Jack Self with the sheriff’s office said this afternoon it’s too early in the investigation to release additional information about the shooting.

Meanwhile, Hoover police at the same time are conducting their own internal investigation to determine if the actions of the officer who shot Bradford were within policy and whether any discipline is merited, Rector said. The officer was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is routine when an officer is involved in a shooting.

Bradford, known to friends as E.J., was a former student of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham and had enlisted in the U.S. Army, according to Carl Dean, a former teacher at the school.

Elizabeth Chamberlain, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army, said Bradford reported to initial entry training in November 2017 and was administratively separated in August 2018 before completing training.

Dean said he had a hard time believing Bradford would have shot someone in the mall.

“He was a super sweet, funny, kind and goodhearted young man who never had a bad word to say to anyone” Dean said. “When I saw this morning that he was allegedly involved in causing the tragedy at the mall last night, I was shocked and in disbelief as well as heartbroken that this young man is no longer with us.”

Whether Bradford was involved in the initial shooting or not, “my heart breaks for his family and for all those from Holy Family who knew and loved him,” Dean said.

The 18-year-old who was shot twice in the torso was taken to UAB Hospital in serious condition last night.

Also, a 12-year-old girl from Calera described as an innocent bystander was shot in the back and taken to Children’s of Alabama hospital. She was in stable condition earlier today but her mother said in a Facebook post that a bullet was lodged near her spine.

This article was updated at 11:01 a.m. to indicate that Emantic Frederick Bradford Jr. was a student at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School but did not graduate from that school, as previously had been stated by his former teacher. A second update was added regarding Bradford's military service on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Read all stories about the Riverchase Galleria shooting here.