Protesters For EJ Bradford Arrested In Hoover

HOOVER, AL - With activists determined to protest nightly in Hoover over the shooting death of EJ Bradford at the hands of a Hoover police officer, the Hoover Police Department has started making arrests, as the protests have blurred the lines between peaceful and dangerous.

The Hoover PD and City of Hoover have said they support the protesters' rights to peacefully assemble, but in recent nights, the protests have become disruptive and dangerous. One man arrested, University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Andy Baer, was part of a protest that briefly shut down Interstate 459 last week, causing traffic issues at the busy Hoover exit.

A report by Alabama Media Group said Baer is the third arrest announced in the ongoing protestsover Bradford’s death. On Sunday, Hoover city officials said Mark Myles, 36, was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the same Dec. 4 incident on I-459. He was booked into the Hoover City Jail Sunday night after he was arrested by officers at the mall Sunday afternoon.

A Vestavia Hills woman - 48-year-old Anne Susan Diprizio - was arrested Thursday when Hoover police received a report of someone in front of Hoover City Hall throwing Christmas ornaments into traffic. Authorities say Diprizio also was standing in traffic on U.S. 31 and tried to climb on the hood of a vehicle while stating she was “going to stop traffic until there was justice for EJ.”

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In their weekly update Monday regarding the Bradford case, city officials said they have consistently stated their support for each individual’s right to peacefully assemble. “However, some of these protests have taken an unsafe turn and violent or otherwise dangerous actions that have the potential to threaten or injure our residents and visitors will not be allowed. We continue to support the community’s right to safely protest, while at the same time maintaining the safety of our entire community. Individuals violating the law will be prosecuted.”

Protesters have convened throughout the city nightly to demand justice and to demand that the video footage be released, although scheduled protests to take place at some Hoover schools have been thwarted by police at the request of the schools. Video footage of the shooting has, however, been viewed by Bradford's attorneys.

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.

The suspect in the shooting, 20-year-old Erron Brown, was captured in Georgia last week by U.S. Marshals. Charles Salvagio, who is representing Brown, filed a routine discovery motion along with a special request for all video evidence.

Salvagio went on to say that he believed the video would show that his client was not the instigator of the event. Although he would not say who started the brawl that turned deadly, he insinuated that at least two of the parties involved knew each other and the fight would have happened anywhere but "somebody wanted it to happen at the Galleria."

Photo of Andy Baer via Hoover PD