A University of Missouri football star has been hospitalized after being shot.
Ahmad Hardy was the Tigers' leading rusher last season. While attending a rap concert in Laurel, Mississippi over the weekend, he was shot. Hardy was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
“Mizzou Football student-athlete Ahmad Hardy was the victim of a shooting at a concert in Mississippi early Sunday morning and sustained a gunshot wound," the football team said in a
statement on X.
"Ahmad underwent surgery Sunday in Mississippi and is in stable condition. Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans. We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support. A timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time. Mizzou Athletics will provide more information on his status when it becomes available.”
According to a report from the
Laurel Leader-Call, Hardy was at the Kamakazie Biker Club in Laurel, Miss. at around 2 a.m. on May 10. The club was closing after hosting an outdoor rap concert.
“There had been a scheduled concert there of some rappers, or maybe a couple of different rappers,” Laurel Police Sergeant Macon Davis told the paper. "It drew a large crowd, and then gunshots rang out at the end.”
Police confirmed three victims, including Hardy. Police also recovered multiple shell casings at the scene. Davis called it a miracle that more people were not hurt.
Police had three suspects in custody for questioning. All suspects were 19 years old from Laurel, and are listed as on hold for another agency, the Laurel Leader-Call reported.
A motive for the shooting has not been established, and authorities are still in the early stages of the investigation. Davis has urged anyone with any video or additional information about the shooting to call the LPD at (601) 425-4711.
Hardy's Achievements
Hardy is a native of Oma, Mississippi, and played high school football at Lawrence County in Monticello. He was a three-star recruit by
247Sports and committed to the University of Louisiana-Monroe in 2024. He appeared in 12 games for the War Hawks with nine starts, and had 237 carries for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns. His performance merited him a list of awards, including a Freshman All-American selection and the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year award; he was ULM's first-ever Freshman All-American and the first All-American since 2017.
Hardy entered the transfer portal after his freshman campaign and committed to
Mizzou. In the 2025 season, he racked up 1,649 yards and 16 TDs on 256 touches, leading the team in rushing and setting the Mizzou single-season record. He finished second in the country in both total yards and yards per game; his 16 scores were sixth in the nation and second in the SEC. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back. He had his best single game of the season against Mississippi State, putting up 300 yards and 3 TDs on 25 touches; it was the best performance by an FBS running back this season, second most in Mizzou history, and sixth in SEC history.
