Trial Date Set For Suspect In 2020 Fatal Shooting Of Indiana Teen In Downtown Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A trial date has been set for a California man accused of murder in the 2020 shooting death of an Indiana teenager on University Boulevard.

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As Patch previously reported, 19-year-old Schuyler Bradley was shot during an altercation in the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2020. He died from his injuries shortly after the shooting and Zachary Profozich, who was 22 at the time of the shooting, was charged with his murder after first being charged with attempted murder in the immediate aftermath.

Court documents obtained by Patch show that Circuit Court Judge Brad Almond has set a trial date for January 2026.

Profozich is represented by Tuscaloosa defense attorneys Joel Sogol and Mary Turner, along with Birmingham's Steve Salter. He has been out after his bond was set at $150,000 on the single murder charge.

Bradley, an informatics major at Indiana University and a member of IU’s Acacia Fraternity at the time of the shooting, had been in Alabama visiting friends and planning to attend the Crimson Tide's highly anticipated football matchup with No. 3 Georgia.

Bradley's mother, Daphne Groff, told Tuscaloosa Patch on Monday that her son's case is once again being pushed aside for newer ones. This comes after Patch reported last week that jury selection for the capital murder trial of former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was set to begin the week of Dec. 1.

"We were told we would finally go to trial this fall, but now we’re being told it won’t happen until 2026," Groff lamented. "This is not the fault of the prosecutor’s office — the delays are coming from the defense attorney, who has filed repeated motions to continue. That same defense attorney is also representing the defendants in the newer cases being prioritized over my son’s.

"They’ve had five years to prepare. September and October are available. Set the trial. This is more than just a delay — it’s a disgrace," she added. "It’s a slap in the face to our family, and it sends a painful message that justice for my Black son matters less than others. His killer, a white man, is still free. We’re still waiting. Justice delayed is justice denied."

In the motion to set a trial date, the attorneys briefly explained their reasons for the requested date, with Salter pointing out that he will be trying a federal case in Atlanta in mid-October that is expected to last four to six weeks.

Sogol informed the court that he will be out of town during a stretch in November, while Turner will be trying several unrelated cases in the weeks leading up to Profozich's murder trial.

As Patch previously reported, a civil suit that has since been settled in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court provides additional insight into the hours leading up to the shooting.

The civil suit against Profozich and The Bear Trap says that on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, Profozich was present at the popular college bar between 5:25 p.m. and 8:11 p.m.

There is a half-hour gap in the timeline before Profozich was reportedly seen again in the bar from 8:44 p.m. until 1:13 a.m. the next morning.

The civil suit goes on to allege that Profozich consumed alcohol at Bear Trap for a total of seven hours and 15 minutes. In the civil suit, attorneys for Bradley's mother argued that The Bear Trap had continued to serve Profozich well after it was visibly apparent that he was intoxicated.

Profozich is then said to have left The Bear Trap at or around 1:13 a.m., making his way west for roughly half a mile down University Boulevard in the direction of downtown Tuscaloosa.

Profozich was accompanied by Griffin Ridgeway and, a little more than 15 minutes later, the two men made contact with Bradley and two of his friends on the sidewalk opposite the University Club.

According to a deposition and charge sheet written by Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Investigator James Lake, an altercation ensued that resulted in Profozich shooting Bradley in the stomach with a .357 revolver around 1:38 a.m.

Investigator Lake later claimed that Profozich and Ridgeway could both be seen in a surveillance video running from the scene after Bradley fell to the ground next to his two friends.

He died a short time later at DCH Regional Medical Center.

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