About 200 people marched through an Alabama mall on Sunday, to protest against the killing of a black man who police erroneously believed was a gunman who wounded two people at the shopping center.

The protesters gathered at the spot at the Riverchase Galleria mall in suburban Birmingham where 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr was shot and killed by a police officer responding to reports of gunfire on Thursday night.

Police thought Bradford, who was carrying a handgun, was responsible for wounding the two people but later retracted that statement and were left searching for a gunman they believed wounded an 18-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl.

Protesters held a moment of silence at the spot where Bradford was killed. His stepmother described him as a respectful young man and said he was the son of a Birmingham police officer.

Police initially said an officer shot Bradford because he was seen “brandishing a handgun” while fleeing the scene.

Authorities respond to the incident at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, on Thursday. Photograph: AP

In a Friday news release, police captain Gregg Rector said new evidence suggested that while Bradford “may have been involved in some aspect of the altercation, he likely did not fire the rounds that injured the 18-year-old victim”.

Rector said police now believed more than two individuals were involved in the altercation that started the shooting and a gunman was at large.

Bradford’s father, Emantic Bradford Sr, said on Saturday night that his son had a permit to carry a weapon for self-defense. He added that it was hurtful police portrayed his son as the shooter.

The Bradford family wants to know if there is police body camera footage from the shooting. Hoover police have not confirmed if such footage exists.