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The calls for the patience of a mayor as a result of the assassination of a black man by the police in the largest mall in Alabama were greeted Monday by protesters who have blocked one of the busiest roads in the state.
Dozens of protesters holding placards have traveled extensively to the United States, at Interstate 459, at rush hour, near the Riverchase Galleria, where a policeman killed the "EJ" Emantic " 21 years old ", the Thanksgiving night.
Hoover police shot Bradford in response to a shootout that injured two people at the mall. They then claimed that Bradford was not the shooter involved in the shootout although he had a gun that the officers saw.
The demonstration in the city of 95,000 inhabitants south of Birmingham took place shortly after Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato offered his condolences to the Bradford family.
"We all want answers and we think with patience and focus that the truth will be firmly established," said Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, as he read a public statement in which he pleaded for patience while a state investigation was ongoing.
The shooting had already caused numerous demonstrations in the suburban city, while calls for the public publication of footage of body cameras and other videos had been made public.
An officer killed Bradford in response to the shooting report that injured two people in the mall last week.
Hoover police first described Bradford as the mall shooter and said the agents had acted heroically to "eliminate the threat" a few seconds after shots were fired at the mall. crowded. They later retracted the statement and said that even though Bradford had been seen with a handgun, it was obvious that he was not the one who shot an 18- and 12-year-old spectator.
Authorities said the gunman was still on the run.
A Bradford family lawyer said witnesses had contacted his law firm, claiming that Bradford was trying to "deter people from shooting".
"He saw a black man with a gun and he decided that he was to be a criminal," said Benjamin Crump, Bradford's family lawyer, about this officer at a police station. Sunday press conference in Birmingham.
Responding to escalating tensions, the police and the city of Hoover on Monday expressed public sympathy to the Bradford family and issued more detailed statements about the shooting and investigation.
"We can say with certainty that Mr. Bradford waved a firearm in the seconds following the shots, which immediately heightened the sense of threat to approaching officers responding to the chaotic scene. ", the statement said. They then clarified the use of the word "brandish" by saying that it meant Bradford was holding a firearm.
Bradford's father and other family members said they wanted to see a video of the body filmed during filming. Family members expressed their frustration and anger at the fact that the young man was described as an armed man who shot two people.
"I knew my son did not do that, people rushed to judge, they should not have done it," said Emantic Bradford Sr. at the Associated Press.
Police Hoover said Monday that "body camera videos and other available videos have been handed over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which is currently investigating the murder." the declaration added.
The mayor said he was asking for a meeting with the Bradford family. Family members reported having learned through social media about the death of their loved one. The video ran on Bradford's social media lying uncovered in a pool of blood on the mall floor.
Bradford's father, a former longtime employee of the Birmingham Police Department Prison, said his son was allowed to carry a concealed handgun. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, issuing concealed carry permits, asked ALEA if Bradford had a license to carry a concealed handgun.
Bradford graduated from a Catholic High School in Birmingham and later joined the US Army, although he recently left the military, said his family.
A US Army spokesman said that Bradford, Jr. was presented to the military for initial training in November 2017, but that it had been "administratively separated in August 2018 before completing his training "and to obtain a specialty certificate.
The shootout sparked a weekend protest at the mall, with protesters chanting Bradford's name as they walked past Christmas shoppers to where he had been killed. A group of pastors joined Monday at the police call for it to broadcast additional information.
"Her mother deserves answers, and the community deserves answers," said Reverend Nate Brooks of the Greater Saint John Baptist Church in Birmingham.
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