Grand Jury to Decide Fate of Man Charged in Mall Shooting
Jefferson County District Judge William Bell Jr. sent the case of Erron Brown to a grand jury following a Thursday preliminary hearing. Brown is charged with attempted murder in the Galleria mall shooting that injured two people on Thanksgiving.
The case drew national attention after police fatally shot 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., believing he was the gunman.
Prosecutors said bullets from Brown’s gun struck Brian Wilson in the chest and abdomen that night at the mall. Another of Brown’s bullets remains lodged in a 12-year-old girl, who was also wounded in the shooting.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall took over the case in December. His office is handling the investigation into Bradford’s shooting and the case involving Brown.
Brown’s lawyer, Charles Salvagio, said his client was acting in self-defense when he fired a .40 caliber pistol at Wilson.
“Brian Wilson walked up, slapped him, punched him more than once, then Erron fired,” Salvagio said.
At some point before the shooting, Salvagio said, Wilson and Brown had a disagreement.
Roosevelt Poole provided witness testimony at Thursday’s hearing. He was with Brown at the mall. He said Bradford was with Wilson. Bradford texted Poole to ask where he and Brown were in the mall, according to Poole.
“They contacted Roosevelt Poole, and then came up there and all hell broke loose,” Salvagio said.
The fight and the shooting happened on the second floor of the mall near Foot Action and JC Penney.
Poole said Bradford walked up and shook Poole’s hand. That’s when Wilson began punching Brown.
Poole, Erron Brown and another friend fled the mall after shots were fired. Brown’s friend testified that Brown was nervous after shooting Wilson and said, “I think I killed him.”
Poole said almost two days later someone fired several rounds into the house where he and Brown lived.
Salvagio said Brown fled to Georgia to stay with a relative for a few days and did not tell his relative about his trouble in Birmingham. U.S. Marshals arrested Brown in Georgia on Nov. 29. Pete Acosta of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency testified that the gun Brown used in the shooting was found with his clothes in Georgia.
Thursday, the Judge Bell reduced Brown’s bond to $60,000. Bell said Brown must wear a monitor if he bonds out of jail.
Salvagio said surveillance tapes show Bradford waving a gun.
What to know as the government begins collections on defaulted student debt
The Department of Education says it will resume collections on May 5 and send wage garnishment notices "later this summer." Here's how to know — and what to do — if you'll be affected.
Environmental groups say Trump administration violated their free-speech rights
A lawsuit alleges the Trump administration violated the free-speech rights of nonprofits and municipalities that have had federal funding for climate and environmental projects frozen or cancelled.
Officials from U.S., Europe meet in London for Ukraine peace talks
The U.S. is showing signs that it is increasingly willing to withdraw from a peace process that has grown more complex in recent months.
Trade wars grew America’s auto industry. Historians warn today’s tariffs won’t
Past success bringing foreign car companies stateside means the U.S. has more to lose and less to gain in today’s trade wars.
Birmingham ranked 4th worst in Southeast for ozone pollution, new ALA report says
The American Lung Association's latest "State of the Air" report shows air quality has worsened in some Gulf South metro areas.
This new story collection is marvelous — if a bit meandering
Lydia Millet's characters in Atavists interact and have little dramas of their own — the author's talent is on full display here. Not every story is strong, but they work well together.
