Arrest in shooting that left innocent man slain

HOOVER, Ala. — Authorities arrested a man suspected of a Thanksgiving shooting at an Alabama mall where police killed a man they mistakenly believed to be the gunman, officials said Thursday.

Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, of Bessemer was charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 22 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Inspector Frank Lempka with the U.S. Marshals in Atlanta said Brown was arrested Thursday morning at a relative’s home in South Fulton, just outside of Atlanta.

Brown was taken to the Fulton County jail for a hearing to be sent back to Alabama, Lempka said.

Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. was killed by an officer responding to the report of a mall shooting. Police said Bradford had a gun, and they initially blamed him for opening fire. They later retracted that allegation.

Brown was charged in the shooting of Brian Xavier Wilson, 18, of Birmingham, who was wounded. He wasn’t charged with shooting a 12year-old girl who also was injured.

Court records show Brown was arrested in June 2017 in Huntsville on a charge of using a gun to rob a man, but the case was dismissed three months later after prosecutors filed notice that they didn’t want to pursue the case.

The arrest followed days of protests over Bradford’s killing in Hoover, where city leaders asked the state Thursday for permission to release more information about the killing.

With the city’s lone black City Council member, Derrick Murphy, acting as a spokesman, officials made the request during an appearance at City Hall that ended with two prayers. The city will look at releasing information on its own if no response comes by noon Monday, Murphy said.

Demonstrators and relatives of Bradford have pushed authorities to release video and other evidence since an officer responding to a report of the shooting, which happened at Alabama’s largest shopping mall.

Murphy, who joined other leaders in meeting with Bradford’s relatives this week, said the city wanted to help answer questions raised by the family.

“They have our love, they have our prayers,” he said.