Alabama judge clinging to life after being shot by son with history of violence following heated argument: cops
An Alabama judge was left in serious condition Saturday after his convict son fired at him during a heated argument, police said.
Khalfani Hardwick allegedly gunned down his father, Judge Johnny Hardwick, the presiding judge of Montgomery County’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, inside his Montgomery home shortly after 1 p.m., the county sheriff’s office said.
What led to the “domestic incident” remains a mystery, but investigators immediately fingered Khalfani Hardwick — a killer who dodged jail time for a decade-old murder — as the gunman.
“Judge Hardwick was involved in a domestic incident with his son and suffered serious injuries from a gunshot wound,” Assistant Chief Wesley Richerson told The Post.
After allegedly shooting his father, the 36-year-old convict fled in a truck, which he ditched just five miles from the home near a local fire department.
He was found just 45 minutes later, and only 1 mile from the abandoned vehicle.
Khalfani Hardwick was taken into custody as a suspect, but has not yet been charged with a crime.
His father went through at least one surgery and is being treated for the “serious” injuries, Richerson said.
Police could not reveal what led to the violent attack and how many times Judge Hardwich was shot.
Khalfani Hardwick has a history of violence, including fatally gunning down another man in 2014.
The judge’s son admitted to fatally shooting Clayton Riley in the head in exchange for his attempted murder charge to be downgraded to second-degree assault.
Khalfani Hardwick, whose father was a sitting judge at the time, served no prison time for the case, WFSA reported.
Judge Hardwick has served on the 15th Judicial Circuit since 2001. He was named the president of the Alabama Association of Circuit Court Judges last August.
