Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr.

Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr., 21, was shot three times from behind and killed by Hoover, Alabama Police Officer David Alexander at the Riverchase Galleria mall on Thanksgiving night, November 22, 2018, moments after another man opened fire during an altercation, wounding an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old bystander. Bradford, who held a valid permit to carry, was seen on surveillance video running toward the wounded with his gun drawn; witnesses and his family's attorney said he was trying to help, not attack anyone. Hoover police initially publicly identified Bradford himself as the shooter, then retracted that within a day. Alabama's attorney general took over the case from the local district attorney, citing conflicts of interest, and announced in February 2019 that the officer had mistakenly believed Bradford fired the earlier shots but was still legally justified in killing him regardless. The FBI separately found no basis for federal civil rights charges. No one has ever been charged in Bradford's death.

Hoover, AL · Jefferson County

• 2018: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• The mall altercation, the earlier gunfire that wounded two bystanders, and Bradford's shooting, per Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's public report and released surveillance video.
• Bradford held a valid Alabama permit to carry the firearm found on him.
• An independent autopsy commissioned by Bradford's family found he was struck three times from behind, in the head, neck, and back.
• Hoover police publicly identified Bradford as the shooter the night of the incident, then retracted that identification, then retracted a follow-up claim that he had brandished a weapon at officers, before the actual gunman, Erron Brown, was later arrested and charged separately.
• Attorney General Marshall's February 2019 report concluded the officer mistakenly believed Bradford was the shooter but was nonetheless legally justified, since Bradford was armed and the officer's duty was to “eliminate the threat” he perceived.
• The FBI reviewed the matter and found no evidence to support federal civil rights charges against the officer, per the Attorney General's office.
• The shooting prompted weeks of sustained protests in Hoover, including demonstrations outside City Hall demanding release of body camera and surveillance footage.

• Whether the officer had a reasonable opportunity to identify Bradford as someone helping the wounded, rather than the shooter, before firing has been disputed by the family's attorney, Ben Crump, who called the investigation a “cover-up,” and was never tested at any criminal trial.
• The involved officer's identity, later reported as David Alexander per Wikipedia's sourced case history, was not initially released by Hoover police or the Attorney General's office in their own public statements.
• The full, unedited body camera footage from the officer who fired was not among the surveillance video the Attorney General's office released publicly.

• Alabama Attorney General's Office — official report on the Bradford investigation
• NBC News — “Alabama officer's fatal shooting of 21-year-old at mall was 'justified,' state says”
• CNN — “Alabama attorney general takes over mall shooting cases, citing conflicts of interest”
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs