Alabama mall case suspect arrested in metro Atlanta

Incident resulted in officers killing a man who was not shooter.

A man suspected of shooting two people at an Alabama mall last week — which resulted in officers killing a man who was not the shooter — has been arrested in metro Atlanta, officials said.

Erron Martez Dequan Brown was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Thursday morning at a relative’s house in Fairburn, said Frank Lumpka of the U.S. Marshals.

They received a tip he was there and got a warrant for his arrest, Lumpka said. Brown, 20, of Bessemer, Ala., was taken to the Fulton County Jail.

The shooting made national headlines after police announced they had shot and killed Emantic Bradford Jr., whom they erroneously characterized as the suspect. Later, they revealed he did not pull the trigger, and was only holding a gun at the scene.

Officials said the actual shooter was on the loose.

Two other people, an 18-yearold and 12-year-old, were wounded in the Thanksgiving night shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover.

Police initially portrayed the officers as heroes who were able to

quickly “take out the threat.” They later retracted that statement.

Bradford’s death sparked protests in the area from dozens of people who expressed anger at the police shooting.

Family members said Bradford had a license to legally carry the gun.

“I knew my son didn’t do that. People rushed to judgment. They shouldn’t have done that,” Emantic Bradford Sr. told The Associated Press.

In a joint statement, the city and police department extended their sympathy to Bradford’s family, adding that Bradford “was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting.”

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement Thursday that Brown is expected to be extradited from Georgia and booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. He should be charged with attempted murder and held on a $150,000 bond, the ALEA said.

The investigation into the incident, including Bradford’s death, is ongoing, officials said.

Erron Martez Dequan Brown was arrested in Fairburn, a U.S. Marshals official said.

KIM CHANDLER / AP Demonstrators carry a sign reading “Justice for E.J.” during a protest last Saturday in Hoover, Alabama, after the death of Emantic Bradford Jr.