The man shot to death by Hoover police at the Riverchase Galleria has now been publicly identified.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the slain suspect as Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. He was 21, and lived in Hueytown. Friends and family called him “E.J.”

Also Friday evening, Jefferson County District Attorney Mike Anderton announced the SBI will take over the probe from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office after learning a cousin of Sheriff-Elect Mark Pettway’s wife is a potential witness in the case.

The shooting happened while thousands were getting an early start at the Galleria, the largest mall in Alabama and a popular Black Friday destination for shoppers from around the state. The gunfire inside the mall sent shoppers scurrying for cover and city officials described the scene as chaotic.

An 18-year-old male was shot and was rushed to UAB Hospital’s Trauma Center where he was in serious condition. A 12-year-old girl was also shot and wounded. Bradford, shot by Hoover police, was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:11 p.m. A 12-year-old girl remains hospitalized at Children’s of Alabama.

Hoover Fire treated eight other people for injuries unrelated to the gunfire, said Hoover Fire Capt. Scott West. Of those eight, six were transported to the hospital. Some injuries were from falls while trying to escape the mall, and others were medical calls. The severity of those injuries wasn’t available.

Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said the shooting happened at 9:52 p.m. “We received a call of shots fired outside of Foot Action. We already had multiple officers working at the mall for traffic control and police presence inside,’’ he said.

Earlier information, he said, is that two adult males – one of them 18 years old – got into a physical altercation in the mall area. “At least one of those individuals exchanged gunfire with the other,’’ Rector said. “The 18-year-old was struck. He was taken UAB with at least one wound. We believe he is in serious condition.”

After the initial gunfire, Rector said the person who shot the 18-year-old – now identified as Bradford - was fleeing the area when he was confronted by two Hoover police officers, who were in uniform. “One of our officers did engage that individual and shot him,’’ Rector said. “He was dead on the scene.”

“The Hoover police officer actually was running to the scene, he heard gunshots, he was obviously very near the scene, he actually shot and killed the person who injured the other person,’’ Rector said.

He said they do not know what started the initial fight. “We know they got into physical altercation. We know the deceased was armed with a handgun and we know he shot the person who was transported to UAB,’’ Rector said.

The 12-year-old bystander was also hit, but police aren’t yet sure at what point she was shot. Her mother discussed at length on Facebook the details of her daughter’s ordeal.

At least several bystanders took photos and videos of the incident inside the mall and those photos – which included a graphic picture of the dead man – quickly made the rounds on social media. Friends of his mother and other family members were pleading for the sharing of the images to stop.

Rector said police had a solid protection plan for the Galleria beginning Thanksgiving night, as they do every year. “This is a big shopping day for us as it is for everybody across the country,’’ Rector said. “We always gear up for extra manpower starting on Thanksgiving afternoon, we do that throughout Christmas.”

“Obviously our officers are well-trained and they go through different types of training throughout the year and they always do a good job responding,’’ he said. “We were fortunate enough to have two officers near an active shooting scene and those officers rushed to that scene and encountered an individual who just shot someone, so we were fortunate that Hoover officer was where he needed to be and we believe he prevented further injuries.”

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr responded to the scene. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was asked to lead the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

We will be looking at every possible means to gather the evidence of what happened,’’ Rector said. “We want it to paint a very clear picture of what happened tonight.”

“We have been working this mall for over 20 years, with additional officers inside and outside. Unfortunately, this took place tonight here,’’ Police Chief Nick Derzis said. “I’m very very proud of the Hoover police officers who were on the scene.”

“Thank God we had our officers very close. They heard the gunfire, they engaged the subject, And they took out the threat,’’ Derzis said. “That threat could have materialized into a lot more people being injured. Thank goodness that did not happen.”

The district attorney said he received a call shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday informing him of a potential conflict with the sheriff’s office investigation the case. "It was explained to me that a potential witness in the case was at the Galleria at the time of the shooting saw what happened,'' Anderton said in a prepared statement.

After talking with all law enforcement agencies involved, Anderton requested that SBI be brought in to take over all related investigations including the officer-involved aspect, as well as the shootings of the other victims. "This will avoid parallel investigations involving the same witnesses and evidence,'' he said.

Anderton said his request should not suggest that the members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office “are incapable or untrustworthy in handling the matter. I have worked for the last 34 years with the JCSO investigators and I personally have absolute confidence in their ability and desire to conduct a fair investigation.”

“But an investigation of this sort takes time. The potential for the conclusion of this investigation coming during the term of the sheriff-elect, a cousin of a potential major witness in this investigation, could lead the public to question its fairness. This is what I seek to avoid.”