“The Wire” Actor Tray Chaney’s Son Thrown 300 Feet as Tornado Destroys Family Home [Video]

Actor Tray Chaney, best known for his role as Poot on HBO’s “The Wire,” is sharing his emotional story after a devastating tornado destroyed his home in Henry County, Georgia, and seriously injured his son, Malachi.

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The EF-2 tornado tore through the Locust Grove neighborhood on May 29th, demolishing the Chaney family’s home, which they had built in 2020. Tray and Malachi were inside when the storm hit. Chaney described the terrifying moment when the walls collapsed and he was buried under bricks and debris. Despite suffering a head injury, his immediate concern was his 18-year-old son, who had been thrown approximately 300 feet into the nearby woods.

Malachi, a freshman theater major at Savannah State University, was found by neighbors and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he remains in intensive care with facial fractures and broken ribs. Encouragingly, he’s shown signs of responsiveness by squeezing his father’s hand.

Chaney says the experience has changed his outlook on life. Despite losing everything, he feels grateful to be alive and focused on recovery and resilience. “Everything is gone. But I’m still living and breathing,” he said, emphasizing the importance of life over material possessions.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support the family’s recovery and help with Malachi’s medical expenses. As of Saturday, it had raised over $70,000. Chaney has expressed deep appreciation for the community’s support and prayers as they face the long road ahead.

Malachi can feel all the love & prayers. He’s really fighting hard. The swelling on his face is finally starting to go down. This is going to be a very long journey to recovery. Me & Wife can feel the love & the prayers.

After an overwhelming amount of calls, text messages,… pic.twitter.com/ipsrnI8xao

— Tray Chaney (@traychaney) May 30, 2025