By james art Family and friends will gather tonight to honor a 13-year-old Birmingham boy who was killed when his ATV was hit by a driver fleeing a nearby shooting scene.
Braylen “Bray Bray” Hardy, a seventh-grader and basketball player at Bush Hills STEAM Academy, died Tuesday at Children of Alabama, three days after he was struck near his father’s home in Ensley.
The balloon release will be held at 6pm today in the 2900 block of Avenue E. Attendees are asked to wear blue or black balloons.
A GoFundMe was also started to help his parents, Vanessa Riggs and Billy Hardy, with unexpected expenses related to Braylen’s death.
“In his short 13 years, he was a source of joy and inspiration to his parents, siblings, family, basketball teammates and friends,” his family wrote on the fundraising site. “Braylen left a lasting impression on all who knew him.”
Brylen sat on her four-wheeler on a sidewalk on Avenue E in her father’s neighborhood Saturday night. He, his father, and his brothers had just finished riding, a family activity they enjoyed doing whenever they could.
It was about 6:45 p.m. when shots were fired nearby, in the 2400 block of Avenue D.
Birmingham police said a vehicle fleeing the scene of the shooting struck the child.
The driver who hit the child fled on foot, but Birmingham City Police officers apprehended him a few blocks from the scene.
No formal charges have yet been announced, but police said the investigation is ongoing by the BPD’s Traffic Homicide Unit.
Brylen Hardy, 13, died three days after his ATV was hit by a driver fleeing a nearby shooting scene.(Contribution)
Riggs said her son was about to put the ATV away for the night.
“A guy driving erratically, going 60 or more on the road, I don’t know if he went through a pothole or hit a curb, but he lost control, went over the curb and hit my baby,” Riggs said.
Ruggs rushed to the scene, but by the time he got there, Brylen had already been taken to the Alabama Children’s Center.
Braylen stopped and started breathing several times, and once at the hospital he was put on a ventilator.
The impact of the collision injured Braylen’s lungs and head, and he also suffered a broken leg and broken arm.
“We were trying to see if God would turn it around,” Riggs said.
On Tuesday, after multiple tests showed a lack of brain activity, the family decided they didn’t want to watch Braylen suffer any longer.
“The only thing keeping him down was the breathing machine,” she said. “I just decided to let it go to be an angel.”
Brylen loved to play video games and loved to eat – especially six-piece soft-serve wings with Cajun Ranch cheese fries.
“He was just a happy kid,” his mother said.
Braylen also loved school.
Brylen Hardy, 13, died Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, three days after a vehicle fleeing the scene of a shooting struck him while he was sitting on his ATV.(Exclusive to AL.com)
“His teacher called me one time and said, ‘Let me tell you about Braylen and these little girls, he’s popular here,'” Riggs said with a laugh.
“His principal came to the hospital on Monday and Braylen was doing very well in school,” she said, adding that he will be able to enter Ramsey High School, which is the family’s goal for him.
Superintendent Mark Sullivan offered his condolences to the family and said counseling was being provided to students and staff.
Braylen leaves behind three brothers and one sister who also mourn the loss of the little boy they left behind.
“He loved spending time with his family,” his mother said. “He was just a fun kid.”
Donations to the GoFundMe can be made here.