The mother of a 45-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Odenville two years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the deadly shooting.

Gregory Don Bratcher, a decorated veteran with a documented history of PTDS, was killed July 15, 2023, when Odenville police responded to what was described as a possible domestic hostage situation at a home at 15705 Highway 411.

The federal lawsuit was filed in Birmingham this week by attorneys James Michael Perry and Martin Weinberg on behalf of Bratcher’s mother, Virigina Bratcher.

The suit names as defendants Officer Jeffrey Eugene Linard II, Police Chief Glenn Walton, and the City of Odenville, and claims police had prior knowledge and experience with Bratcher’s mental health issues.

“Gregory’s death was preventable and unnecessary,” the suit states.

“This case concerns misinformation and miscommunication, an officer’s own internal biases resulting in excessive deadly force, and police department’s failure to provide a lawfully required mental health service toa man threatening suicide on his own property,” the suit reads.

“As a result, Gregory’s life was terminated without reasonable excuse or justification.”

Odenville city officials did not immediately return a request seeking comment.

Police were called to the home about 7:16 p.m. that Saturday night.

The police chief said at the time when they arrived, they secured the home and learned Bratcher had entered a wooded area at behind the house.

Walton said officers encountered the suspect and victim and immediately attempted to deescalate the situation.

Police officers from Odenville, Moody, Springville, Argo, Margaret and Leeds, as well as the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene.

According to the lawsuit, Bratcher and his wife, Alma, were inside their apartment on his parents’ property when they began arguing.

Bratcher left the apartment and went to a mobile home on the same property where his son and his wife’s daughter lived. His wife followed him there.

While in the mobile home, Bratcher got a gun and walked toward an open field in the rear of the property, threatening to kill himself.

One family member called 911, while others followed Bratcher and pleaded with him to not harm himself.

Bratcher’s wife’s daughter told the dispatcher that the family had notified the VA Caregiver Assistance Program about Bratcher’s mental health problems.

A dispatcher notified police that a caller had reported a man had her mother at gunpoint, the suit states.

The first officer who arrived on the scene located Bratcher and his wife in the field. Minutes later, Linard arrived.

Body camera footage showed Bratcher with a gun in his right hand, held across his chest, pointed upward and over his should toward the sky. His wife was pleading with him not to harm himself.

The suit said Linard got out of his patrol vehicle with a military-style assault rifle equipped with a scope.

“After exiting his patrol car, Linard flipped his hat backwards to make it easier to peer down his scope and aim his rifle,” lawyers say in the court documents.

Officers made verbal commands that could be heard over police scanners.

Within seconds of the first officer’s command to drop the weapon, the suit alleges, Linard aimed his rifle at Bratcher and fired a fatal shot.

Bratcher, lawyers contend, never aimed his weapon at anyone or himself, and never appeared to be holding his wife hostage.

The suit says Linard was communicating with dispatchers while responding to the scene and confused Bratcher with another Odenville resident who police had previously arrested.

“Linard erred in confusing these two individuals,” according to the lawsuit.

“He made no effort to confirm Gregory’s identity, and he failed to use any de-escalation techniques. Linard predetermined to resolve the situation immediately through deadly force.”

The suit states that previous encounters between Bratcher and Odenville police always ended peacefully.

According to Bratcher’s obituary, he served 17 years in the Alabama Army National Guard and was a sergeant when he was discharged.

“His selflessness and unwavering dedication to his comrades and the mission served as a shining example of military excellence, and his presence will be sincerely missed,” his obituary read.