According to Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Police Chief Nick Derzis, the police officer who “took out” the shooter at the Riverchase Galleria on Thursday night prevented what could have been an even bigger tragedy.
In a news conference after the shooting, Derzis said, “I’m very very proud of the Hoover police officers who were on the scene.”
One officer in particular, who was nearby when the shooting started, rushed towards the sound of gunfire. “Within seconds,” he then reportedly encountered and engaged the shooter, killing him.
Other officers already on duty in and around the Galleria joined this officer in charging towards danger to protect the innocent mall-goers.
“[T]hank God we had our officers very close. They heard the gunfire, they engaged the subject, And they took out the threat,’’ Derzis explained. “[T]hat threat could have materialized into a lot more people being injured. Thank goodness that did not happen.”
Hoover Police Captain Gregg Rector, who briefed the media at the news conference first, detailed, “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.”
A 12-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male were shot during the incident. The 18-year-old reportedly was involved in an altercation with the shooter, who brandished a gun and started firing.
If not for the actions of the police officers, the fallout could have been significantly worse.
Brocato emphasized, “I’m just grateful for the rapid, professional response of our police officers. They acted with such heroism. They acted appropriately and quickly. It’s already a bad situation, but it could have been worse.”
“They took a situation that was very grave and chaotic and neutralized it an got under control quickly,’’ the mayor added.
As of 6:00 am on Friday morning, the Galleria was reopened to Black Friday shoppers.
— Hoover Police Dept (@HooverPD) November 23, 2018
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
