Hoover officials met with Emantic “E.J.” Bradford, Jr.’s family on Tuesday evening, and then on Thursday morning, publicly requested that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) release video footage of the officer-involved fatal shooting of Bradford.
In a press conference that included Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, Police Chief Nick Derzis and City Councilman Derrick Murphy, officials called on ALEA investigators to release the “limited information,” including video footage, that Hoover PD previously turned over or give the city permission to do so.
If ALEA does not do so by the city officials’ deadline of noon on Monday, the City of Hoover may decide to release that video footage and information themselves.
This came after Brocato, Derzis and Murphy personally apologized to Bradford’s family on Tuesday for incorrectly deeming the young man as the Riverchase Galleria shooter.
Alabama Media Group reported that the meeting between the family and officials “went well,” according to Bradford’s father.
“I think it went well with the mayor,” Bradford, Sr. said. “He was very considerate. I saw the emotion in his face. He had to collect himself. He felt it in his heart.”
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson, added, “The family was crying; the mayor was about to cry; I was crying.”
In a statement, Hoover officials outlined:
Following this tragedy, Councilman Derrick M. Murphy arranged a meeting with the family of Mr. Emantic ‘EJ’ Bradford, Jr. Mr. Bradford’s mother, father, and loved ones graciously agreed to sit and speak with Councilman Murphy, Mayor Brocato, and Chief Derzis on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, before the prayer vigil held in Mr. Bradford’s remembrance.
Mayor Brocato, Councilman Murphy, and Chief Derzis expressed their sincerest condolences and prayers to Mr. Bradford’s family on their loss. Chief Derzis acknowledged and apologized for the issuance of an inaccurate public statement in the wake of this tragedy that implied that Mr. Bradford was the suspected shooter.
During the meeting, city officials answered any questions that they could.
The City appreciates the Bradford family agreeing to sit down with city representatives during this difficult time. Our collective thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the Bradford family in the coming days, weeks, months, and years, as they begin the healing process.
The family did reiterate their request for video to be released by ALEA after that Tuesday meeting. They are reportedly still upset at the city and the police department’s handling of certain aspects of the aftermath of Bradford’s death, including that his body was not covered up and that his parents were not notified.
Tyson explained, “They accepted the apology but they aren’t satisfied with the answers they gave, that it was the coroner’s job to call them.”
On Thursday, Hoover officials reaffirmed their commitment to finding the truth and their sympathy for the Bradford family.
“We want to and are committed to getting to the truth and getting it right,” Brocato advised.
“They have our love. They have our prayers,” Murphy remarked of Bradford’s family.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
