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.
Caroleene Dobson to run for Alabama secretary of state
The secretary of state serves as Alabama’s chief elections official. The office also maintains business records and government records for the state.
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama’s anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices.
The new film ‘Tatami’ reveals an Iranian judoka’s fight beyond the mat
In the first feature film co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian, Tatami, an Iranian judoka must choose between her country and a run for the gold at the World Judo Championships.
U.S. uninsured rates could resurge if Trump’s budget bill passes
Millions could lose health insurance as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. "The effects could be catastrophic," one policy analyst predicts.
Several countries have privatized air traffic control. Should the U.S.?
An effort to privatize U.S. air traffic control in 2017 never took off. Now the aviation industry is uniting behind the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the system.
Whose lavish wedding is sparking protests this week? Find out in the quiz
From British royalty and billionaire antics to the latest in U.S. news, this week's quiz will make you feel smart and savvy at the dinner table.