In the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, 13-year-old Braylen Hardy was sitting on his ATV on the evening of Saturday, October 26, 2024. He had just returned from a family outing and was about to put the vehicle away. At around 6:45 PM, a car that was reportedly fleeing the scene of a nearby shooting at a high speed, lost control and struck the young boy.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene on foot but was apprehended by patrol officers a few blocks away.
Braylen was a seventh-grade student at Bush Hills STEAM Academy and had recently made the school's basketball team. Known for his bright and cheerful personality, his family described him as a sweet kid who was always smiling. He sustained multiple critical injuries in the incident, including a broken leg and arm, as well as lung and head injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he was placed on a ventilator. After several days with no signs of brain activity, his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support. Braylen Hardy passed away on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
The driver, identified as 24-year-old Antonio Tremayne Weldon Jr., was taken into custody shortly after the crash. After being interrogated, he was initially released. On July 8, 2025, after the case was presented to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, Weldon was charged with reckless manslaughter in connection with Braylen's death. Authorities stated that Weldon was also a suspect in another fatal hit-and-run that occurred a few months later, and they believe he was under the influence of alcohol in both incidents. At the time he hit Braylen, Weldon was already facing charges of attempting to elude, reckless endangerment, and receiving stolen property from a separate incident two months prior. He is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on two counts of reckless manslaughter.
