An Alabama solider has been charged with reckless murder of a 5-year-old who he had thrown out of the vehicle as punishment along a road. Unfortunately, another vehicle hit the innocent child killing him instantly, police said. The victim was reportedly the son of the soldier's girlfriend.
Later Army Sgt. Bryan Starr, 35, surrendered to officials in Russell County after being charged in the death of Austin Birdseye, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor told a news conference. Starr reportedly said the child was being "unruly" in the car. The reckless behavior has left even the police shocked. They are still investigating the incident, following which additional charges could be slapped on Starr.
Careless and Inhuman
According to Russell County police officials, Starr was driving on Highway 165 on Sunday evening when he told the child, his girlfriend's son, to get out of the car for being "unruly." Later, angered by the child's tantrums, Starr threw him out of the car.
Following that Starr started moving, while another vehicle coming from behind hit the boy. Conditions were dark and rainy at the time, and Starr reportedly told investigators that he lost sight of Austin until he saw cars stopped in the road. Austin was immediately rushed to Piedmont Columbus Regional where he was later pronounced dead.
Starr told investigators the boy began acting up in the car as they traveled on Alabama 165 near their home on Sunday night, so he pulled his Dodge Charger into a church parking lot and made the boy get out in the rain.
The boy's mother wasn't travelling with them. It is still not known where Starr's girlfriend was at that time. "I can't imagine the mother's grief that she's going through," Taylor said.
Murder Because of Negligence
As of now, the police don't have plans of charging the driver of the Toyota Avalon that ran over the child, as he was not at fault. Originally from Illinois, Starr is presently stationed at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, Taylor said. He and the child's mother, Christina Birdseye, 33, share a home in southeast Alabama near the sprawling base.
An online campaign meant to raise money for the boy's family said Austin would often sing along with songs "at the top of his lungs" while in the car, but the sheriff said he could not understand the Starr's actions and what led him to throw the boy off the car. The investigation into the case is still on and Starr could be slapped with additional charges.
