2018 Riverchase Galleria shooting
The 2018 Riverchase Galleria shooting was a fatal incident that took place inside the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall during early "Black Friday" shopping at 9:52 PM on Thanksgiving night, November 22, 2018. Two people were injured in the initial violent outbreak outside of the Foot Action store near J C Penney. Another man, Emantic Fitzgerald "E. J." Bradford Jr, 21, was fatally shot by a Hoover Police officer in the immediate aftermath. Eight others were treated at the scene for injuries suffered while attempting to flee from the scene, with six of them transported to hospitals. Additional gunshots were reported outside of the mall shortly afterward, with no injuries reported.
The mall reopened for holiday shopping at 6:00 AM on Friday, November 23. A handgun was found lying in the "Santa’s Village" area.
Context
The Galleria was scheduled to be open on Thanksgiving Day from 3:00 PM to midnight, with most stores open from 6:00 PM to either 10:00 PM or midnight. In addition to the Galleria's own private security staff, numerous on-duty Hoover Police Department officers were present inside and around the mall to help with traffic and crowd control under a "protection plan" developed to address public safety concerns arising from holiday shopping. As part of that plan, a Hoover Police Mobile Command Center was deployed to the Costco parking lot near the Galleria.
A year earlier, a fight broke out on the second floor of the Galleria outside Buckle at 11:20 PM on Thanksgiving night, leading the mall to close 40 minutes early. Reports of gunfire heard outside of the mall that night could not be confirmed by investigators.
Initial shooting
The initial shooting took place during an argument between two or more males on the mall's upper level, near the Foot Action store. Some have speculated that a dispute over a new athletic shoe release was a factor, but no evidence for that has been made public.
One 18-year-old male was injured by gunfire. A 12-year-old girl from Calera, Molly Bennett, was at the mall with her grandmother. She was struck in the back by a bullet which broke one of her ribs. She was taken to Children's Hospital for emergency treatment and quickly stabilized. The injury did not affect her spine and she is expected to recover, though the bullet was not removed.
Police shooting
It was initially reported that Bradford, the man who was shot and killed by the police officer, was responsible for the initial shooting. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis stated that, "Thank God we had our officers very close. They heard the gunfire, they engaged the subject, And they took out the threat." Police have stated that Bradford was "brandishing" his gun and that he refused to follow officers' instructions before he was shot. Members of Bradford's family have provided a different account, saying that he was helping usher people from the area, that his gun was tucked into his waistband, and that after shooting him in the face, police refused to allow him medical treatment.
Later investigation suggested that while Bradford "may have been involved in some aspect of the altercation," that his gun had not been fired, and that he may have been one of several people seen drawing personal firearms in the immediate aftermath of the first shooting.
Investigation
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office was initially asked to head the criminal investigation, but that responsibility was passed to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency because a relative of Sheriff-elect Mark Pettway was a potential witness.
The officer who confronted and shot Bradford was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation of that shooting by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and by Hoover's own internal affairs detectives. The officer was wearing a body camera, which has been turned over to ALEA for examination.
Protests
On Saturday November 24 a number of people, including members of Bradford's family and affiliates of "Justice League" and "Black Lives Matter", joined a protest outside of the Galleria's Macy's store and then proceeded to parade through the mall chanting and holding placards. Other protests were held at Kelly Ingram Park on Sunday November 25, and outside of the Hoover Public Safety Center on Monday November 26.
Lawsuit
Bradford's family retained Tallahassee, Florida-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump Jr to gather information about his death at the hands of police and to represent their interests in potential legal action.
References
- "Hoover Police Ready for Holiday Shopping Season 2018" (November 20, 2018) Hoover Police Department press release
- Robinson, Carol (November 24, 2018) "Riverchase Galleria Thanksgiving shooting: 2 injured including girl, 12; man killed by Hoover police." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (November 24, 2018) "12-year-old shot at Riverchase Galleria ‘hurting but brave,’ mother says." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (November 24, 2018) "Man killed in Alabama mall shooting 'likely did not fire’ shots that injured 2, police say." The Birmingham News
- Hrynkiw, Ivana (November 24, 2018) "Protesters call for boycott after Alabama mall shooting, demand release of body cam footage." The Birmingham News
- Johnson, Roy S. (November 25, 2018) "Police ‘saw young black man with a gun’ and shot him, father says after Galleria police killing." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (November 25, 2018) "Woman, 70, airlifted to Mobile with internal, brain bleeding from fall after Alabama mall shooting." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (November 26, 2018) "Hoover offers ‘deepest sympathies’ after deadly Alabama mall shooting, vows transparency." The Birmingham News