US Attorney: EJ Bradford Case Under Review

HOOVER, AL - Civil rights activists from all over the country have taken interest in the shooting death of Emantic "EJ" Bradford at the hands of a Hoover police officer. This week, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the officer was justified in shooting Bradford Thanksgiving night at the Galleria mall. As activists have demanded federal involvement all week, federal officials say they have actually been involved all along.

“This matter has been, and continues to be, under review by various civil rights components within the Department of Justice since these events occurred,” U.S. Attorney Jay Town told AL.com Friday. “The recent release of a 10-week investigation by the State of Alabama is now a part of that review by those components. Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time.”

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Related Story: AG Rules Police Justified In Shooting EJ Bradford

Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, on Thursday said the group is asking for a DOJ investigation into Bradford’s shooting and the shooting of “so many other young black men in particular.”

“We’re protesting the decision made by Attorney General Marshall," said Birmingham Justice League's Frank Matthews. "This will start a whole national push as we will criss-cross across the country talking about this decision that was made not to give the case of Emantic Bradford to the grand jury as well as other instances of police violence, brutality … all over the country that have been justified.”

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr on Friday released his first public statement following Marshall’s ruling.

“If the evidence in a case is clear that the shooting was legally justified, then a prosecutor would be ethically prohibited from presenting the case to a grand jury,’’ Carr wrote. “However, it is my belief that every officer-involved shooting, if after a full analysis of the evidence collected there remains any question to the legality of the shooting, then the presentation of the case to a grand jury would be appropriate.”

Carr added, “Because my office was not presented with the evidence in this case,’’ he said, “I will not comment on the attorney general’s decision. Mr. Bradford’s death is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to his family and our community as we continue to grieve his loss.”

Photo via Bradford family