Montgomery, Alabama – A shocking incident unfolded in Montgomery, Alabama, as Judge Johnny Hardwick was left in serious condition after being allegedly shot by his convict son, Khalfani Hardwick. The altercation took place inside the judge’s Montgomery home, leaving the presiding judge of Montgomery County’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit seriously injured. The county sheriff’s office reported that the shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m., following a heated argument between the father and son.
The motive behind the violent altercation, described as a “domestic incident,” remains unknown. However, authorities pointed to Khalfani Hardwick as the perpetrator, a convicted murderer who evaded prison time for a previous homicide. The 36-year-old suspect fled the scene in a truck but was apprehended just 45 minutes later, only a mile away from where the vehicle was abandoned near a local fire department.
Judge Hardwick underwent surgery for his serious injuries and is currently receiving treatment. Police refrained from disclosing further details regarding the attack and the extent of the judge’s injuries. Unsettlingly, Khalfani Hardwick has a history of violence, having fatally shot another man in 2014. Despite confessing to the crime, he received a downgrade from an attempted murder charge to second-degree assault in exchange for his admission.
Khalfani Hardwick, the son of the wounded judge, avoided serving prison time in the past for the fatal shooting. Judge Hardwick, on the other hand, has held a position in the 15th Judicial Circuit since 2001 and was appointed as the president of the Alabama Association of Circuit Court Judges in August of the previous year. As the investigation unfolds, the community is left grappling with the shocking turn of events involving a respected judicial figure and his troubled son, raising questions about the complexities of family dynamics and the justice system.