Targeted Attack: Britney Hardwick

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In December 2020, 22-year-old Britney Hardwick was shot and killed in what appeared to be a targeted attack. Three years later, her murder remains unsolved. No arrests. No answers. Just a grieving family that continues to seek justice til this day. Anyone with information about this case should contact the Cleveland Police Department at 216-623-5464. 

This is the story of Britney Hardwick. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host, Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that took place in Cleveland, Ohio, in
December of twenty twenty. It all began in the quiet

(00:20):
hours of the evening. A twenty two year old mother
was gunned down in cold blood while sitting in her car.
Her murder sent shockwaves through her neighborhood and left a
toddler without her mother. More than three years later, her
killer remains free and her family continues the fight for justice.

(00:44):
This is the story of Brittany Hardwick. Britney Hardwick was
just twenty two years old when her life was taken
from her. She was a young mother trying to build
a future for her, herself and for her young daughter
in Cleveland, Ohio. Like so many other young parents, Britney

(01:06):
faced the daily challenges of raising a child while also
navigating the complexities of life. But Brittany was working to
create a better life for her family. She had dreams, plans,
and most importantly, she had justice. Her little girl who
depended on her December twelfth, twenty twenty. It was a

(01:33):
frigid night in Cleveland. The city was still reeling from
the effects of the pandemic, and like many Americans, people
were just trying to get through each day. Brittany had
found herself in the fourteen hundred block of East one
hundred and seventy sixth Street that evening. She was sitting
in her car, parked in front of a home. Perhaps

(01:56):
she was visiting someone, maybe she was waiting for or
possibly she was just taking a moment for herself. Whatever
brought her to that location that night, it would be
the last place that she would be seen alive. As
Britney sat in her car, suddenly shots rang out, breaking

(02:19):
the silence in the neighborhood. When authorities arrived at the scene,
they found Britney Hardwick shot and killed inside her vehicle.
The twenty two year old mother had been gunned down
in what appeared to be a targeted attack. The scene
was devastating. Gun violence had taken yet another young life.

(02:44):
A family was left shattered, and a two and a
half year old little girl would never get to see
her mother again. The Cleveland Police launched an immediate investigation,
but from the beginning. This case would prove to be
more challenging than anyone ever anticipated. As news of Britney's

(03:09):
murders spread through the community, her family was left to
grapple with an unimaginable loss. Her mother, Sandra Dawkins, became
the primary voice for justice, refusing to let her daughter's
case just spade into the background. But more and more
precious time was going by, and no leads and no

(03:33):
answers were surfacing that pointed to who Britney's killer might be.
Eventually two years had gone by, Sondra described the daily
battle of coping with her daughter's murder, knowing that the
killer was still out there somewhere. She told reporters, for

(03:56):
these two years, I've been looking for her and thinking
about her, trying to say things so I could hear
her voice. The frustration within the Hardwick family grew. By
December twenty twenty two, exactly two years after Britney's murder,
there were still no arrests that had been made. Her mother, Sondra,

(04:21):
organized a balloon release in her daughter's memory, marking the
second anniversary of the unsolved case. It's been seven hundred
and thirty days and my baby hasn't come home, and
she's not coming home, Sandra said. The family voiced their

(04:42):
frustrations with the pace of the investigation. Sondra didn't mince
her words when speaking about the Cleveland Police Department's handling
of the case. They killed my Brittany for no reason,
and nobody is being held accountable. She said, you have
your suspects, go after these people. Stop sitting around waiting

(05:05):
for someone to come and tell you. People are not
going to put their life on the line to tell
you something that detectives and police are trained to find out.
Brittany's sister, Ronica Dawkins, joined her mother in pleading for
information from the community. She understood the fear that often

(05:29):
prevents witnesses from coming forward. It's just sad that they're
just walking around and that there are people okay with that,
Ronica said, if it was your sister, daughter, or mother,
you would want to know. But it's not snitching. If
you're helping somebody, it's not to help yourself, it's to

(05:51):
help somebody. It's to help a family have closure. But
perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of this case is the
impact on Britney's daughter. Justice At the time of her
mother's murder, Justice was just two and a half years old.
Her grandmother said, when you take a child's mother, you

(06:13):
should be charged with something extra because you are damaging
this child for life. You've taken something that nobody can
give back. Sandra channeled her pain into action, becoming an activist.
She began working to prevent other families from experiencing the

(06:35):
same devastating loss. She participated in Cleveland's Women's March, which
focused on violence against women. She was able to connect
Britney's case to a broader movement addressing the epidemic of
violence that disproportionately affects women and communities of color. The

(06:57):
circumstances surrounding Britney's case sparks several questions that remain unanswered
till this day. What or who was Brittany waiting for
that night? Was she specifically targeted or was she the
victim of random violence? And if the police have suspects,

(07:18):
as the family has suggested in the past, what's preventing
them from making any arrests. In many homicide cases, the
fear of retaliation keeps potential witnesses silent. The challenge for
investigators is building a case that doesn't rely entirely on

(07:39):
community cooperation, using physical evidence, surveillance footage, cell phone data,
and other forensic tools to help identify and prosecute the perpetrator.
The murder of Brittany Hardwick highlights the growing challenges facing
law enforcement, especially in an urban community, the ongoing epidemic of

(08:02):
violence against women, and the resilience of families who refuse
to let their loved ones be forgotten. Three years have
passed since that December night in twenty twenty. There have
been no publicly named suspects, arrests, or answers, and her

(08:24):
family continues to fight for justice. My thoughts and prayers
are with the family and friends of Brittany Hardwick as
they continue their search for answers. The Cleveland Police Department
continue to ask for anyone with information about this case
to contact their homicide unit. You can find their contact

(08:46):
information in the description box below. As we close out
this episode, don't forget to hit the follow button to
stay updated on Brittany's case and others like it. Be
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content and case updates. If you're watching us on YouTube,

(09:09):
drop your thoughts on this case in the comments below.
We'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much
for joining us on another episode. Until next time. Hunting

(09:34):
for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
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