Police Promise ‘Transparency’ in Investigation of ‘Officer-Involved’ Alabama Mall Shooting

The City of Hoover and its police department are pledging “transparency” in investigating an “officer-involved” mall shooting that occurred Thanksgiving night.

Breitbart News reported that the Hoover Police Department first said one of its officers had shot and killed a gunman in Riverchase Galleria seconds after that gunman allegedly shot an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old. The alleged gunman, now deceased, was initially identified as 21-year-old Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr.

Hours later, the Hoover Police Department circled back to say the officer had indeed shot and killed Bradford but that they no longer believed him to be the gunman who shot two people. Rather, they described the gunman as still at large.

Hoover police released a correction in which they admitted an officer shot Bradford, whom they now describe as “fleeing the shooting scene while brandishing a handgun,” although “he likely did not fire the rounds that injured the 18-year-old victim.”

WISTV reports the city and the police department are pledging “transparency” in investigating the incident.

In a joint press release, the city and police department said:

Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are extended to the families of those affected by the traumatic events surrounding the officer-involved shooting last Thursday evening, November 22, 2018. We extend sympathy to the family of Emantic J. Bradford of Hueytown, who was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting. The loss of human life is a tragedy under any circumstances.

Bradford’s family is demanding the release of body cam footage of the incident.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.