Attorney General To Take Over EJ Bradford Case

HOOVER, AL - It has been three weeks since Emantic ``EJ'' Bradford Jr. was shot and killed at the Riverchase Galleria by a Hoover police officer. With nightly protests in Hoover, arrests being made in connection to the protests, and a national media presence in Alabama, state Attorney General Steve Marshall said his office will take over the investigation into Bradford's death.

Marshall called a 10:30 a.m. press conference to make a statement about the case. Marshall met with Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr Monday in Birmingham, according to a report by Alabama Media Group.

Marshall shared his response to a letter to Carr, saying:

“I have reviewed your December 11th letter regarding your prosecutorial role in the shooting death of Emantic ‘E.J.’ Bradford, Jr. Based on the information you provided in that letter and our multiple conversations on the subject—particularly your acknowledgement that ‘a fair-minded, objective observer could conclude that a conflict exists’—I have determined that the National Prosecution Standards dictate your recusal from the investigation of each of the shootings that occurred in the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night, not just E.J. Bradford’s.”

Marshall's letter continued, "

“While I have no reason to believe that you are actually biased or compromised, I agree that other fair-minded persons might question your neutrality based on the information that you provided in the letter and during our private conversations. For example, you state that the officer who shot Mr. Bradford is either the charging officer or a witness in approximately 20 cases pending in your office. A fair-minded Defendant (or family member) in those cases could question whether you and/or your prosecutors are biased in favor of protecting the officer from prosecution because the officer’s testimony may be important in his or her case. On the flip side, you acknowledge personal relationships with some of the protestors who are calling for the officer who shot Mr. Bradford to be criminally prosecuted, which could lead a fair-minded person to question your bias in favor of indictment. I have weighed these factors and others mentioned during our conversations and agree that, when taken as a whole, these factors warrant recusal under Rule 1-3.3(d).”

Marshall also said that his office would prosecute the shootings of Brian Wilson and Molly Davis. “Your letter requests guidance on the ‘officer-involved’ shooting of E.J. Bradford; it does not mention the shootings of Brian Wilson and Molly Davis. However, it is my understanding that all three shootings were part of a single chain of events. Thus, the investigation of Mr. Bradford’s shooting is inextricably intertwined with the investigation into the shootings of Mr. Wilson and Ms. Davis and must be conducted by the same entity. Accordingly, to guard against inconsistent prosecutorial decisions, you must also excuse yourself from those investigations.”

The case has been handed from the Hoover Police Department to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, then to the State Bureau of Investigation - after authorities determined a potential key witness in the mall incident is a cousin of the wife of Jefferson County Sheriff-elect Mark Pettway.

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Since Bradford's death, multiple protests have been held in Hoover - including the Galleria, outside Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato's home, Sam's Club, Walmart, Buffalo Wild Wings and on Interstate 459, where protests briefly shut down traffic at the Interstate 65 interchange. Last Thursday night, a group of about 60 took their protest to Ross Bridge and later the YMCA on Highway 150 at South Shades Crest Road.

Bradford and his friend Brian Wilson were involved in an altercation at the Riverchase Galleria Thanksgiving night, and the altercation led to shots being fired. When a Hoover police officer arrived at the scene, he reportedly shot Bradford, who was holding a gun. Initial reports said Bradford was the shooter, but that was determined through the investigation to be false.

Photo via Alabama Attorney General's Office