The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Thursday affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the City of Hoover and the owners of the Riverchase Galleria cannot be held responsible for a fatal 2018 Thanksgiving Day shooting.

In a 23-page opinion written by Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan, the court said that the shooting of Emantic “EJ” Bradford was not foreseeable and was not caused by any lack of training of a Hoover police officer.

Bradford’s mother, April M. Pipkins, filed suit in 2019 on behalf of herself and the estate of her son, against the City of Hoover and Hoover Mall Limited, doing business as the Riverchase Galleria Mall, and Brookfield Properties Retail, a mall management service.

The officer, identified by the lawsuit as David Alexander, “acted reasonably” under the Fourth Amendment given the circumstances, the court said.

A mall crowded with holiday shoppers, the sound of gunshots, and Bradford running with a gun created a situation where split-second decisions had to be made.

“The shooting was, as the district court noted, undoubtedly tragic. But under governing precedent it was not unconstitutional,” the opinion noted.

The suit had already been dismissed by U.S. District Court in a summary judgment, ruling that Alexander’s use of deadly force was reasonable.

Bradford was killed in the mall on Nov. 22, 2018.

He had a valid pistol permit at the time of the shooting and was “going towards the sound of the shots in an attempt to provide assistance,” the opinion stated.

In ruling on the case, the judge cited video footage of the incident. The panel concluded Alexander did not have time to issue a warning to Bradford.

“Officer Alexander was behind Mr. Bradford as they both moved towards the two men,” the opinion stated.

“Approximately five seconds after hearing the initial gunshots, Officer Alexander shot and killed Mr. Bradford, mistakenly believing he was going to shoot the two men who were near the railing.”

On that evening, Erron Brown is alleged to have shot Brian Wilson, 18, in the Riverchase Galleria Mall. The shooting occurred on a second-floor walkway of the Galleria in the vicinity of JC Penney and Foot Action stores.

After shooting Wilson, Brown ran from the crime scene toward the JC Penney store.

In 2022, Erron Martez Dequan Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault for the wounding of a then-teen and a 12-year-old girl. Brown was sentenced to 10 years in prison with three years to serve.