Alabama Police Admit To Killing Wrong Man In Mall Shooting
BERMAN: Police in Hoover, Alabama admit they killed the wrong man in the minutes after a gunman opened fire inside a shopping mall on Thanksgiving. It now appears that shooter got away and remains on the loose this morning. And the family of the man who was killed -- that family wants justice. CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Alabama with the very latest -- Ed.</s>ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, it was just about 10:00 on Thursday night -- Thanksgiving night -- when police say -- originally said that 21-year-old E.J. Bradford was involved in an altercation that led to the shooting of an 18-year- old male and a 12-year-old female bystander. But over the weekend, that story dramatically changed and now police here in Hoover, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, say they do not believe that it's likely that Bradford fired those shots at all and that the shooter is still here on the loose.</s>TEXT: "We extend sympathy to the family of Emantic J. Bradford of Hueytown, who was shot and killed during Hoover police efforts to secure the scene. We can say with certainty Mr. Bradford brandished a gun during the seconds following the gunshots, which instantly heightened the sense of threat to approaching police officers responding to the chaotic scene."</s>LAVANDERA: Now, Hoover police released a new statement here this morning saying that they're extending their condolences and their thoughts and prayers to the family of E.J. Bradford. But they also say that they have clear evidence that suggests that Bradford brandished a weapon in the seconds after the shooting erupted there inside the mall and that that led to that chaotic situation. However, the family of Bradford has hired civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. The family and attorneys saying over the weekend that this is clearly a situation where if you are a good guy with a gun and you happen to be black, the police will shoot and kill you. The family of 21-year-old E.J. Bradford says that he was legally allowed to carry a weapon -- had a permit to carry that weapon inside the gun (sic). And that the family also says that they have witnesses from that scene who say that they believe Bradford was actually trying to wave people away from the chaotic shooting scene -- John and Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh, Ed. Thank you very much for all of the background here. Joining us now are E.J. parents. We have April Pipkins and Emantic Bradford Sr. We also have civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump who is representing the family now. Ms. Pipkins, Mr. Bradford, we're so sorry for your loss and how it had to happen this way and how you had to find out about this. Mr. Bradford, we, here on NEW DAY, on Friday, reported on this as though the gunman had been shot and killed by police. That's what the police statement said, that's what our police sources said. And then, the story changed and it turned out that your son -- your 21-year-old son who has no criminal record was the person who was shot --</s>EMANTIC BRADFORD SR., FATHER OF MAN KILLED BY POLICE IN ALABAMA MALL: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: -- and killed and the gunman is still on the loose. What have police told you about this horrible mistake?</s>BRADFORD: They haven't told me anything yet. Nobody has responded. We haven't gotten no calls and no apology. Nothing has been told to us what happened -- what transpired and led up to this point.</s>CAMEROTA: Mr. Bradford, the police, in this horrible tragic case of mistaken identity, have not reached out to you, his family?</s>BRADFORD: No, not at all.</s>CAMEROTA: Ms. Pipkins, how do you feel -- you're holding a picture there of your son. We've seen him. We've seen how handsome he was. Obviously, he went into the Army. He was described by everybody as just being a helpful person, wanting to help others. How do you explain what happened in that mall?</s>APRIL PIPKINS, MOTHER OF MAN KILLED BY POLICE IN ALABAMA MALL: I know that was the thing that they took my son from me and my Thanksgiving will never be the same. I'll never be able to see my son's face again or to look into his eyes or to hear him say mom, I love you. Love you, mom -- love you -- and hug on me and kiss on me, you know. And like his father has said, no one has even reached out to us in any type of way. So my Thanksgiving will never be the same --</s>CAMEROTA: Of course.</s>PIPKINS: -- because this is the -- you know --</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>PIPKINS: -- when I lost my son and --</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. Mr. Crump --</s>PIPKINS: -- you know, not knowing -- not even knowing if I'll be able to have an open casket to see him again. I'm just at a loss of words right now.</s>CAMEROTA: Understood. Mr. Crump, this is horrible. I mean, this is just a horrible tragedy and the idea that the police wouldn't reach out to the family to try to explain themselves. But maybe it's that in the seconds -- in the chaotic seconds after a gunman opened fire on shoppers on a crowded -- at a crowded mall, they showed up. And I think that what their story is now was that E.J. had a gun himself and they thought that he was brandishing a gun and that he was the gunman. Can it be an innocent case of mistaken identity?</s>BENJAMIN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF MAN KILLED BY POLICE IN ALABAMA MALL: Well, it's awfully ironic that they're asking for this family to give them the benefit of the doubt -- the benefit of consideration, Alisyn, even though they didn't give E.J. Bradford the benefit of the doubt and consideration when this off-duty police officer who was doing private security for the Galleria Mall pulled the trigger, we believe, unjustifiably. Several witnesses have reached out to us and said it was in milliseconds. He offered no verbal commands. He didn't say freeze, police, anything. He just saw a young black man with a gun and he shot. Witnesses say E.J. was helping them. A young lady said E.J. saved her life and helped several others -- reached out to the family. So he was a good guy with a gun. But this notion of a good guy with a gun trying to stop the bad guys with guns doing these mass shootings where if you happen to be black the police see you as a criminal and they shoot and kill you. That has been shown in Jamel Robinson in Chicago, now here in Birmingham, Alabama, which is the epicenter of the civil rights movement, that is doesn't matter if you're a good guy with a gun. If you're black, the police shoot and kill you and ask questions later.</s>CAMEROTA: Mr. Crump, is it your understanding from what you've been able to find out about what happened during that chaotic moment that many people in the mall were carrying guns that day and took their guns out as the good guys to try to stop the bad guy or was it just E.J.?</s>CRUMP: Well, we understand now that there was a shooting before this and after they shot E.J., witnesses have said there was more shooting. So this would have suggested to the police that E.J. was not the person who shot the gun if there's still shooting afterwards. But very important, the video tells us everything, Alisyn. To heal this community and give trust to this family and several in the community, what the police should do and what the family's demanding is release the video. You don't need to say no more.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>CRUMP: Release the video because they don't trust the police department because they've already lied to them and pulled the trigger. And the Hoover Police Department pulled the trigger --</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>CRUMP: -- and released his picture all over the world saying that he was a shooter --</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>CRUMP: -- and they said the officer was a hero. Can you imagine how that made these parents feel?</s>CAMEROTA: No --</s>CRUMP: They knew their child --</s>CAMEROTA: -- I can't.</s>CRUMP: -- who they raised.</s>CAMEROTA: And so, Mr. Bradford, you also, it should be said, are 25 years a correctional officer. You're in law enforcement. You know police and are friends with them in this area. So have you asked them for the video and have you asked them why they're not reaching out to your family and making some sort of compensation to you?</s>CRUMP: You called them (ph).</s>BRADFORD: No, I haven't because I think that's just so unrespectful of another person regardless of where I worked or how long I worked there. You should just obviously do that to a parent and let that parent know, hey, my condolences, I'm sorry -- we made a mistake. That's all I'm wanting them to say. You know, just come out and call me and his mother and say hey, Mr. Bradford, can we sit down and have a talk. You know, we -- I'll talk to you. But my thing is you showed me lack of respect, his mother a lack of respect, my son a lack of respect because you allowed him to lay there in the mall bleeding out and you never covered him up. You've got people putting stuff all on Facebook -- you know, social media -- my son's brains blowed out. And his grandmother couldn't take it. She almost passed out yesterday. And, you know, cover my son's body up. You just let him lay there in the open and everybody was just taking pictures and video. So, you know, that's disrespectful --</s>CRUMP: It's disrespectful.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>BRADFORD: -- and it hurts me as a father and it hurts me as a person that worked so long for law enforcement and just to get that disrespect. That's disrespect, totally, across the board.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. Well, Mr. Bradford and Ms. Pipkins, Benjamin Crump, you are not asking for anything unreasonable. You are asking for the common decency of a phone call to understand what happened in that mall and why your 21- year-old son was killed. Obviously, we will stay on the story. We will wait for the video to be released and the rest of the pieces to come together here. We're so sorry for your loss. Thank you for joining us.</s>CRUMP: Thank you. Thank you, Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: John --</s>BERMAN: All right. 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