A man suspected of shooting two teenagers at an Alabama mall last week — which resulted in officers killing a man who was not the shooter — was arrested in metro Atlanta, officials said.
Erron Martez Dequan Brown was arrested by U.S. Marshals and South Fulton police Thursday morning at a relative’s house in Fairburn, Frank Lumpka of the U.S. Marshals said.
Officials received a tip he was at the home in the 200 block of Highwind Way and got a warrant for his arrest, Lumpka said.
Brown, 20, of Bessemer, Ala., was taken to the Fulton County Jail.
The marshals said the Fairburn family seemed to know nothing about the allegations against Brown.
The shooting made national headlines after police announced they had shot and killed Emantic Bradford Jr., who they erroneously characterized as the suspect. Later, they revealed he did not pull the trigger, and was only holding a gun at the scene.
Officials said the actual shooter was on the loose.
Two other people, an 18-year-old and 12-year-old, were wounded in the Thanksgiving night shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover.
Police initially portrayed the officers as heroes who were able to quickly “take out the threat.” They later retracted that statement.
Bradford’s death sparked protests in the area from dozens of people who expressed anger at the police shooting.
Family members said Bradford had a license to legally carry the gun.
"I knew my son didn't do that. People rushed to judgment. They shouldn't have done that," Emantic Bradford Sr. told The Associated Press.
In a joint statement, the city and police department extended their sympathy to Bradford’s family, “who was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement Thursday that Brown is expected to be extradited from Georgia and booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. He should be charged with attempted murder and held on a $150,000 bond, the ALEA said.
The investigation into the incident, including Bradford’s death, is ongoing, officials said.
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