Man arrested, accused of shooting cousin in arm during fight at Riverchase Galleria

HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - A suspect was arrested late Friday night in the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham after his cousin was shot in the arm during a fight at the Riverchase Galleria.

The Hoover Police Department responded to shots fired in the food court at the mall just before noon.

Police said Saturday that the fight at the Galleria was related to a social media dispute by some of the people involved, leading to a 20-year-old man being shot in the arm.

He was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and later released.

GRAPHIC WARNING: The following video may be disturbing to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

A witness caught the moment a fight broke out and the man was shot.

Parts of the mall near the food court remained closed for about two hours following the incident, but normal operations at the Galleria have resumed.

Late Friday night, Hoover Police confirmed a suspect had been arrested in the shooting. The suspect was taken into custody on Avenue K in Ensley by Hoover officers around midnight.

He was later identified as Reginald Ja’Ques Davidson.

Davidson left the scene after the shooting with the gun, which was later determined to be stolen.

“None of those involved appear to have any ties to Hoover, yet chose a mall in our city to settle a minor dispute with violence,” Hoover Police said in a statement Saturday. “As the Hoover Police Department has repeatedly said, this type of violent, dangerous and outrageous conduct will not be tolerated and will be met with every resource of the Hoover Police Department.”

News Conference

The Hoover Police Department held a news conference shortly after the shooting. You can see the full news conference below.

“Every resource at the disposal of the Hoover Police Department is currently deployed to find those responsible and hold them accountable. Detectives have gathered leads, and we are confident the suspects will be identified and apprehended quickly,” Hoover city officials said.

WBRC talked to the manager at one of the Galleria’s stores just outside the food court who said a shooting happened and the mall was on lockdown for just over an hour. The manager said the officers were sweeping up and down the mall.

At this time, Hoover police said there is no active threat.

“This is the first major incident at the Riverchase Galleria in more than five years and the first non-fatal shooting in the city of Hoover this year. We are committed to ensuring the City of Hoover remains a safe place to shop and will have our officers in place to facilitate a safe experience. Much like when Mayor Derzis was police chief, if you come to Hoover to commit a crime, we will find you and arrest you,” the city stated.

Over the past eight years, four shootings have occurred at the Riverchase Galleria — three of them deadly.

A physical altercation and shooting broke out near the Footaction and JCPenney stores in 2018 that left one person dead and two others injured.

In 2019, Zachariah Taylor Music was shot and killed at a parking deck at the Riverchase Galleria.

Royta Giles was also shot and killed while standing with his mom in 2020.

WBRC reached out to owners of the Riverchase Galleria for a statement about the shooting. You can read the statement below:

Davidson is being held in the Hoover City Jail and will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail Saturday.

He has been charged with first-degree assault and second-degree theft of property.

Hoover Police said they are still investigating the shooting and that additional charges are likely.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call 205-739-7440. You can also remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward by calling Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.