Police Arrest Suspect In Thanksgiving Day Shooting At Alabama Mall

Nina Golgowski
Updated

Police have arrested a 20-year-old suspected of carrying out a shooting inside an Alabama mall last week on Thanksgiving Day, a melee which ended with police officers fatally shooting the wrong man.

U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force in Georgia took Erron Brown into custody on Thursday morning, the city of Hoover, Alabama, announced in a press release. He faces an attempted murder charge.

Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, is charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 22. 2018 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Ala., according to police. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, is charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 22. 2018 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Ala., according to police. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A Hoover police officer, responding to reports of gunshots, fatally shot 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. at Riverchase Galleria mall after the officer said he mistook Bradford for the gunman.

The gunman shot an 18-year-old man, who sustained non-fatal injuries, and a 12-year-old girl was also wounded during the incident.

Brown allegedly targeted the 18-year-old victim, following a physical altercation between the two inside of the mall. Police have not said who shot the child, The Birmingham News reported.

Police said responding officers saw Bradford armed with a gun and running from officers when he was fatally shot. Police claimed they mistook him as the shooter shortly after. The police department changed its story later, issuing a correction.

Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, Jr., 21, seen in his senior year of high school, was fatally shot by police responding to reports of a shooting.  (Photo: Associated Press)
Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, Jr., 21, seen in his senior year of high school, was fatally shot by police responding to reports of a shooting.  (Photo: Associated Press)

The victim’s family and their attorney have said that Bradford had a permit to carry a concealed handgun and that he joined the U.S. Army last year. Authorities have not confirmed that Bradford, who described himself as a U.S. Army combat engineer, had a permit. Firearms are not permitted at the mall, according to its website.

“This is an important milestone in the continued work to find answers about what happened in last Thursday’s tragic incident,” the city of Hoover said following news of Brown’s arrest. “The City of Hoover remains committed to transparency and will continue to communicate with the public as new information becomes available.”

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.