Hoover police night
Editor's Note: The most recent information about this incident can be found here.
The Hoover police officer who shot and killed an armed man at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, Hoover police said this morning.
But Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis on Thursday night both praised the officer who shot the man, whom Derzis said had just shot an 18-year-old inside the mall. (Note: Police later said evidence and further interviews revealed the man shot by police, Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., likely was not the one who shot the 18-year-old.)
Police Capt. Gregg Rector this morning identified the man who was killed as a 21-year-old from Hueytown but did not give his name. The 18-year-old who was shot first was from Birmingham and was struck twice in the torso, Rector said. He was taken to UAB Hospital by ambulance in serious condition.
A 12-year-old girl, whom Rector described as an innocent bystander, also was wounded by gunfire. The girl, Molly Davis, was at the mall with her grandmother when she was struck in the back by a bullet, her mother, Julie Bennett of Calera, posted on Facebook.
The Hoover Fire Department took her to Children’s Hospital in a rescue unit, and she is in stable condition, Rector said. The bullet went into her back at an angle and is lodged close to her spine, her mother said.
Rector said the incident started at 9:52 p.m. when the 18-year-old and another man got into a physical altercation on the second floor of the concourse area of the Galleria, near the entrance to the Footaction store. The other man pulled out a gun and shot the 18-year-old, he said.
Two uniformed police officers who were providing security at the mall were nearby and heard the gunshots, Rector said. “While moving toward the shooting scene, one of the officers encountered a suspect brandishing a pistol and shot him,” Rector said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case at the request of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office because the Hoover police officer shot and killed the man.
Derzis said he’s thankful there were officers nearby who dealt with the situation quickly. “They heard the gunfire, they engaged the subject, and they took out the threat,” Derzis said. “That threat could have materialized into a lot more people being injured. Thank goodness that did not happen.”
The Riverchase Galleria said on Twitter Thursday night that “we are devastated by the incident that happened tonight in our shopping center. We are working closely with the Hoover Police Department.” The mall reopened for business this morning at 6 a.m.
Read all stories related to the Thanksgiving night shooting at the Riverchase Galleria here.
This article was updated at 12:54 p.m. with more information about the 12-year-old girl who was shot in the back.
