An independent autopsy of Emantic "E.J." Bradford Jr., the black man killed by police in an Alabama mall on Thanksgiving, found he was shot three times in the back, the Bradford family's attorneys reported Monday. The bullets' entry point indicates Bradford was running away when a police officer fired on him from behind.
"We believe based on this forensic evidence that this officer should be charged with a crime," said lawyer Benjamin Crump. "There's nothing that justifies him shooting E.J. as he's moving away from [the officer]. You're not a threat when you're running away."
Bradford's father, Emantic Bradford Sr., emphasized the senselessness of his son's death. "My son was murdered by this officer, and that was cowardice," he said. "You shot a 21-year-old person running away from gunfire. Never posed you a threat, never had nothing in his hand. Why did you shoot him? You can't explain that to me, 'cause that ain't training. That's cowardice."
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Police were at the mall to respond to a shooting for which they initially claimed Bradford was responsible. A different suspect for that shooting has since been arrested, and witnesses told The New York Times Bradford had been guiding frightened shoppers to safety when he was killed.
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