Soldier Killed in Shooting at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving

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, a US Army Soldier.

A shooting at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night left one person dead and two people wounded with gunfire, Hoover police said.

The incident started at 9:52 p.m. when two adult men got into a physical altercation in the common area of the mall between the Foot Action store and J.C. Penney, Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said.

One man pulled a gun and shot an 18-year-old male at least one time, Rector said. Two uniformed Hoover police officers were very close by and rushed to the scene. 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.

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. 

“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.”

A 12-year-old girl also was struck by a bullet and taken to Children’s Hospital by the Hoover Fire Department. (Hoover Sun, November 23, 2018)

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According to Newsone (November 24, 2018) Cops Admit Black Man Police Killed In Alabama Mall Shooting Was Not The Shooter.  Police responding to a shooting at a mall in Alabama apparently shot and killed the wrong person — a Black man — leaving the suspected gunman at large following a violent episode that wounded two others on Thanksgiving night.

Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., “an active duty [Soldier],” was reportedly shot in the face and died at the Riverchase Galleria in the town of Hoover as police identified him as their primary suspect. The 21-year-old, who was armed and licensed to carry a gun, was reportedly home for the holidays when he was killed.

The details of this incident are still unclear. What is known is that police saw Mr. Bradford, armed with a handgun, and immediately shot him in the face killing him.  An 18 year old at the mall was shot by someone (Bradford? Another Shooter?). A 12 year old girl was hit by a bullet fired by someone (the Police?)

 

 



Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

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