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A 21-year-old gunman killed by an officer in a mall in Alabama on Thanksgiving night "probably did not fire" the shots that injured two people and sent terrified shoppers to search of a shelter, announced Friday the police.
Authorities had initially thought that Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., known as EJ, had shot at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, south of Birmingham, which had left a police spokesman for Hoover hospitalized, the police spokesman Hoover, Capt. Gregg Rector said in a statement.
At first, police said Bradford had opened fire after an altercation with the 18-year-old man and that an officer had shot him while he was fleeing the scene.
Friday night, however, the police changed the case, saying that even though Bradford was involved in "one aspect of the altercation" and was armed with a handgun, he probably did not shoot the bullets that hurt the two others.
"We regret that our initial press release was not entirely accurate, but new evidence indicates that this was not the case," Rector said.
Police: the altercation involved more than 2 people
The new information came after investigators from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and crime scene experts interviewed witnesses and examined evidence, the police said.
"Investigators now believe that more than two people were involved in the first altercation," Rector said. "This information indicates that there is at least one armed man still on the run."
The police did not provide any name or description of the fugitive fugitive.
The officer involved in the shooting is on administrative leave pending an investigation, the police said.
Bradford's family released this statement Saturday afternoon:
"Our family is completely shocked, torn and devastated by the tragic death of our beloved" EJ ". EJ was a devoted son and brother who dedicated his life to the service of his country and always did the right thing. As we continue to cry, rest assured that we are working diligently with our legal team to determine exactly what happened and why this police officer killed our son. We will never forget EJ and we will ask you to continue praying during this incredibly difficult time. "
Members of the Bradford family have retained the services of civil rights lawyer Benjamin L. Crump, according to a statement from the law firm.
Jefferson County attorney general told Hoover police on Friday that Alabama law enforcement agency would take the lead role in the investigation into the shooting at the county sheriff's office, announced rector. Hoover police will "assist and cooperate fully" in this investigation and "conduct an internal but separate investigation" into shootings involving officers, he said.
It is unusual for the police to cancel so quickly the story of a policeman who killed a gunman, said Saturday the senior CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes. But as new information pointed to a gunman on the run, they had to do so "in the public interest," he said.
According to Mr. Fuentes, the initial report reflects "the pressure on the police and the authorities when there is a shooting involving an officer to get as much information as possible as quickly as possible, even if it implies a kind of speculation or if it comes to a conclusion. "
Demonstrators demand justice outside the mall
Dozens of protesters, including women who described themselves as close to Bradford, gathered early Saturday afternoon in front of the mall to demand justice, showed footage from CNN's WVTM affiliate.
Holding up signs of "Justice for EJ" and "Black Lives Matter," they compared Bradford's case to that of other black Americans shot by police in high-profile incidents, including Walter Scott, who was killed in North Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.
"No justice, no peace," they shouted as they walked slowly into the mall before entering it. "No racist police."
One protester called attention to the police along the perimeter of the protest, blaming them for Bradford's fatal murder, and called for the arrest of the police officer who shot the 21-year-old.
More than one speaker mentioned Bradford's military service. But while Bradford wrote on his Facebook page that he was a US Army combat engineer, he never did advanced individual training and did not serve in the military, CNN said. Lieutenant-Colonel Manny Ortiz, spokesman for the army.
& # 39; Freaking out & # 39 ;, then escape
The shooting in Alabama's largest closed shopping mall took place shortly before 10 pm (23h ET) Thursday.
The police do not know how the confrontation started but do not believe that the injured 18-year-old was armed, they said. An armed man opened fire and shot the teenager twice in the chest, police said.
An armed police officer Hoover who worked at the security of the shopping center then confronted an armed man who was fleeing and shot dead, the authorities said.
A 12-year-old girl described by the police as a passer-by was shot once, but by whom, says Rector. The two wounded were taken to the hospital.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes in which gunshots were heard, as customers screamed and staff helped people to flee or hide.
"They put us in storage cupboards and locked the doors. And then we sat there for five to ten minutes to panic, "said Lexie Joyner at CNN affiliate, WBRC. "And then they opened the doors of the emergency exits and we escaped.
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