A five-year-old boy was struck and killed on a busy highway in Fort Mitchell, Alabama, on Sunday (November 29) night. Police said that 35-year-old Bryan Starr was driving when the young boy, Austin Birdseye, started acting "unruly."
Starr decided to punish Austin and pulled over on the side of the road and ordered him to get out of the car. The young boy complied and started walking down the dimly-lit street in the rain.
Austin then wandered onto Highway 165, where he was struck by a vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said that the driver of the car that struck Austin was devastated but will not face any charges.
The boy's mother was not in the car at the time. Authorities said she has been dating Starr for several years and that they lived together a few miles from where he kicked Austin of the vehicle.
"It's just horrific. I can't imagine the mother's grief that she is going through. It's just tough. What do you say to that? What is your thought process when you tell a five-year-old to get out of the car on a rainy night because they were loud in the car? It's just heartbreaking," said Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor.
Starr turned himself in and was charged with reckless murder.
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