Family Speaks Out After 13-Year-Old Boy Is Hit and Killed by Speeding Driver: ‘We’re in a Nightmare'

Family members are mourning an Alabama teenager who died days after he was hit by a car while sitting on his ATV.

Police said the fatal collision occurred on Saturday, Oct. 26, after shots were fired near Avenue D in Birmingham around 6:45 p.m. local time, according to FOX affiliate WBRC and NBC affiliate WVTM-TV.

A car that fled the scene of the shooting then hit the teen, who had just finished riding his ATV.

The teen has been identified as 13-year-old Braylen Hardy. Family members said he had just finished a ride with a large group of people when he was struck, according to WBRC and CBS affiliate WIAT.

Hardy was transported to the Children’s Hospital after the crash. Hardy’s mother Vanessa Riggs told WVTM she made the decision to take her son off life support on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

“I couldn't let him suffer anymore,” Riggs explained. “His heart stopped. I just had to give him to God.”

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Billy Fagness, Hardy’s uncle, told WBRC his nephew was a respectful seventh grader at Bush Hills STEAM Academy who was passionate about basketball and riding ATVs.

Hardy “had the time of his life” after nearly 100 people showed up for a ride on Oct. 26, Fagness said.

The incident occurred after the ride. Fagness claimed witnesses told him Hardy was on the side of the road when the car sped into him. He claimed the person behind the wheel went “out of control” and “jumped the curb” before hitting Hardy, who was on his ATV.

“It’s rough. It’s like we’re in a nightmare,” Fagness told WBRC. “It’s like we just can’t wake up from this nightmare.”

The driver of the car that hit Hardy allegedly stopped and fled on foot, but was arrested by police a short time later, per the reports. They have since been released.

The Birmingham Police Department declined to comment on the incident to PEOPLE.

Riggs told WIAT she wants justice for her son. In a message to the driver who hit her son, the mom said, "Not only did you hit a kid, you have killed my child ... I will never see my baby again."

A balloon release for Hardy will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, according to a GoFundMe started by Riggs. Funeral services for Hardy are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9.