The man accused of shooting a teenager inside the Riverchase Galleria mall on Thanksgiving night was attacked by the teen first, an attorney argued Thursday.

A preliminary hearing for 20-year-old Erron Martez Dequan Brown was held Thursday morning before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell Jr. Following the hearing, the judge bound over the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. He also lowered Brown’s bond to $60,000. If Brown does post bond, he must be placed on electronic monitoring.

Brown is charged with attempted murder for the Nov. 22 shooting inside the Galleria mall. Brian Wilson, 18, and a 12-year-old bystander were injured in the incident, and 21-year-old Emantic “E.J” Bradford was fatally shot by Hoover police. The day after the shooting, police said Bradford was likely not the person who fired the shots that injured the other two.

During Thursday’s hearing, an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officer and two witnesses testified. Special Agent Pete Acosta first took the stand and testified that his agency received the case on Sunday, about two days after the incident. Acosta said he started interviewing witnesses the following day and was able to identify Brown as the person who shot Wilson.

Acosta testified that witnesses said Wilson first approached Brown, followed by a large group of people. Wilson slapped and punched Brown, Acosta said, and Brown then shot Wilson and fled the scene with two friends. Those two friends talked to police and also testified during the hearing.

Wilson was shot twice with a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson, according to Acosta. He was shot once in the left side of the abdomen and once in the left side of his chest. Of the six shell casings found at the mall, Acosta said two were from a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences determined those shell casings came from a .40 caliber gun found in Brown’s belongings at the time of his arrest, Acosta testified.

An arrest warrant was obtained on Nov. 28, and the following day Brown was arrested at his uncle’s house outside of Atlanta. Acosta said the uncle appeared to not have any knowledge about the shooting, and led police to several bags of Brown’s belongings.

Police found a .40 caliber gun in one of those bags. The gun had been reported stolen earlier in 2018, Acosta testified.

Full coverage of the Galleria shooting

Roosevelt Poole testified he was with Brown and another friend named Eric Parker shopping during Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night. He knew Bradford and Wilson because the men had all gone to high school together.

Poole said at 9:44 p.m., Bradford messaged him on Facebook and asked where Poole and his friends were. Poole responded they were near J.C. Penney, and soon Poole said Bradford, Wilson, and about eight other people showed up. Poole said Bradford walked up to him and shook his hand.

As Poole and Bradford were shaking hands, Poole said he saw Wilson slap and punch Brown several times. Within seconds, Poole said, two shots went off and he ran into the J.C. Penney store with Brown and Parker. The three ran through the store and out to Brown’s car.

Poole said he didn’t see Brown fire a gun. “It happened so fast,” he said, adding that he didn’t know Brown had a gun. Poole also testified that he didn’t see anyone else with a weapon, but he did notice something poking out of Bradford’s shirt.

When the trio got inside Brown’s car and were leaving the mall, Poole said Brown started cursing and saying, “I think I killed him.”

Brown dropped off Parker and then Poole and Brown went to the home they shared, Poole said. The two hung out all weekend and early Sunday morning, when Poole said his home was shot into. He didn’t see the people who fired the shots, but he made a police report the next day. The night of that shooting was the last time he saw Brown until he was in custody.

Parker also testified that Wilson, a boxer, slapped and punched Brown seconds before the shooting. He said he didn’t see Brown fire, and that he ran when he heard shots.

Parker was the only person during the hearing to say he witnessed Bradford pull a gun that night, but said he didn’t see Bradford fire the weapon.

Parker also said Brown was panicked and said “I think I killed him,” when the group got into Brown’s white Camaro. Parker said he told Brown to calm down and if he did kill Wilson, it would be in self defense.

Brown, Poole, and Parker hung out during the weekend following the shooting, Parker testified. He said on Saturday the trio watched the Iron Bowl and then partied at a Tuscaloosa club Saturday night. When the group returned to Birmingham and Poole’s house was shot at, Parker said Brown was afraid and said he didn’t feel safe. Parker testified he didn’t know Brown was fleeing to Georgia, and he didn’t know who took Brown there.

Both Brown’s attorney Charles Salvagio and Deputy Attorney General Andrew Arrington made statements to the judge before he issued a ruling. Salvagio asked the judge to dismiss the case, calling it a “pure case of self-defense.” He also asked for a lower bond.

Arrington said there was probable cause to take the case to a grand jury, noting the matched shell casings and the fact Wilson was shot twice.

Salvagio said after the hearing that if all the evidence is presented to a grand jury, they will not indict Brown on the charge. “He just got hit in the head by a boxer,” Salvagio said. “The argument I will make is in self-defense.”

Surveillance video shows Bradford standing over Wilson with a gun and pointing it in several different directions, Salvagio said, before Bradford ran. He also said Bradford was the first person to pull a gun.

ALEA is still investigating the case.