Mother remembers 19-year-old son, IU student killed in Alabama shooting
BLOOMINGTON (WISH) — He was an athlete, a scholar, a son and a brother.
Schuyler Bradley was a 19-year-old sophomore at Indiana University. The Carmel High School graduate died after a shooting Friday morning in Alabama.
“He loved hard. If he loved you and cared about you, that was all he needed,” said Daphne Groff, Bradley’s mother, on Monday.
She told News 8 her son was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a football game. His mother told News 8 that her son stepped in to de-escalate an argument and that is when he was shot. Just before he breathed his last breath, his mother shared a sweet loving message.
“I put my face on his face and I kissed him,” Bradley’s mother said. “I whispered in his ear, ‘You can let go. You’ve got to go. It’s OK to go.’”
Zachary Profozich, 22, was arrested and faces a charge of murder in connection with Bradley’s death.
“Who gets to spend Christmas and Thanksgiving and birthdays with his family? I can’t do any of that anymore. I hope that the world sees him for who he is. I hope justice is served. I hope he rots in hell,” Groff said.
Bradley attended the university on a full scholarship as a part of the Groups Scholars Program. His brother is in the same program. The Groups Scholars director told News 8 that Bradley was very focused and driven.
“He was always smiling, always happy, jovial, fun to be around. He will truly be missed,” said Mary Stephenson, the Groups Program director.
Juan Cano, Bradley’s adviser, said he’ll miss the teen’s tenacity to do better. Bradley regularly came to his office to make sure he was on top of his academics.
“He always knew that his mother’s struggles were always going to be rewarded in the end when Schuyler got his degree. I saw that in everything that he did, was that he was always trying to give back to his mother, to his community, and be that lively person,” Cano said.
Bradley was a member of the Acacia fraternity at IU. The house director told News 8 that hearts are heavy among Bradley’s fellow fraternity brothers.
An IU spokesperson told News 8 the university is providing grief counselors and is in contact with the family.
