Over $92K raised for 'The Wire' actor as his son recovers after tornado struck home
The son of "The Wire" actor Tray Chaney, whose Georgia home was wiped out in a tornado last week, is on the "road to recovery," his father said.
Chaney's family home, located in Locust Grove, approximately 37 miles from Atlanta, was built in 2020. On May 29, it was struck by a reported EF-2 tornado, leaving behind debris, and Chaney and his son, Malachi, were hospitalized.
"I lost my house. I lost everything," he explained in an emotional video shared on social media. "Thank God I'm still living. I survived the tornado. My son, he survived."
Chaney, 43, portrayed Poot on HBO's hit crime drama "The Wire." He also appeared on Starz's "BMF" and "Secret Society," streaming on Tubi.
Chaney unconscious, son found in the woods after tornado
In a statement on his Instagram, Chaney said the incident happened May 29 around 3 p.m.
"I was unconscious on the ground with my face in the mud with my parts of my house on top of me," he wrote. "I woke up in a panic, crawled from under my house screaming my son's name out."
"My neighbors were there to assist me, and we found my son 300 feet away in the woods behind my house."
Malachi making progress, Chaney says
A GoFundMe created for the family says Malachi has been in the ICU after suffering from broken ribs and fractured facial bones. The fundraiser has raised over $92,000 at the time of publication.
In a June 1 Facebook post, Chaney shared that Malachi spent his 19th birthday in the hospital, but is making some progress and is surrounded by his support system.
"He can feel it because he's really responding even more. He's stable," the actor said. "We're feeding him. He's able to eat soft foods and like the doctors said it's just a long road, a long journey to recovery."
He continued, "Malachi is an American hero. He's a hero to the world, and I'm documenting it."
Paste BN has reached out to the Chaney family for comment.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.