A Montgomery judge is in critical condition after he was allegedly shot Saturday by his own son, a felon convicted in 2014 for shooting someone else.
Johnny Hardwick, presiding judge of Montgomery County’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, was allegedly assaulted and shot by his son, Khalfani A. Hardwick, 36, following a domestic dispute, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
“At approximately, 1:00 p.m., the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to Judge Johnny Hardwick’s residence in reference to a domestic incident,” police said.
“Upon arrival, deputies learned that Judge Hardwick had been assaulted, shot, and seriously injured by his son,” a press release states.
Police said his son fled the scene and abandoned his vehicle on Trotman Road. Shortly after, he was located on US Highway 231, and taken into custody.
Khalfani Hardwick is charged with first-degree domestic violence and with certain persons forbidden to possess a pistol.
In 2014, Khalfani Hardwick pled guilty to second-degree assault after shooting family-friend Clayton Riley in the head. He served no prison time.
Johnny Hardwick served in federal, state, and Montgomery city positions before being appointed to the circuit court in 2001.
Last August, he was named president of the Alabama Association of Circuit Court Judges.
