Daryl Alexander Hill had just dropped his 10-year-old daughter at school when authorities say he stopped to help someone in distress.
APOPKA, Fla. — A 56-year-old Florida father was fatally shot Tuesday morning after authorities say he tried to intervene in a roadside confrontation shortly after dropping his daughter off for her first day of school.
Daryl Alexander Hill died after the Aug. 11 shooting near Plymouth Sorrento Road and West Ponkan Road in Apopka, northwest of Orlando. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Hill was trying to help someone who appeared to be in distress when he became involved in a confrontation involving a man and a woman. Raul Lionel Vazquez, 26, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in Hill’s death.
Deputies were called to the area around 8:30 a.m. after receiving reports that a man and woman were physically fighting inside a vehicle. Authorities said the vehicle crashed and the two occupants got out and continued fighting. Hill, who had been riding home after taking his 10-year-old daughter to Wolf Lake Elementary School, encountered the confrontation and stopped.
An arrest affidavit described Hill attempting to separate Vazquez and the woman as Vazquez confronted her. A physical fight followed involving all three people, according to reports citing the affidavit. Witnesses told investigators that Hill later emerged from bushes with his hands raised and tried to get away. Authorities allege Vazquez then retrieved a firearm from the vehicle and shot Hill. Hill was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Vazquez told investigators that Hill attacked him first, according to reports citing the affidavit. Investigators, however, received witness accounts that described Hill as unarmed and trying to leave when he was shot. The sheriff’s office publicly characterized Hill as a bystander who had stopped to help. The allegations against Vazquez have not been proven in court.
The shooting unfolded as families were traveling through the area for the first day of school. Ryan Harper told local television station WKMG that he was driving with his wife and children when they came upon traffic near the intersection. He said they heard a loud noise and later saw a person lying in the roadway. Harper described the experience as traumatic for his family and others heading to school that morning.
Hill’s family said his decision to stop was consistent with the way he lived. His wife, Suzanne Hill, said her husband cared deeply about his family and regularly helped other people. Hill was a father of three, including two adult children and the 10-year-old daughter he had taken to school shortly before the shooting. His son, Damon Hill, also remembered him as a caring and nonjudgmental person who loved helping others.
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Vazquez said Hill had been active in the school community and was quick to help when asked. Family members and friends described him as outgoing, humorous and devoted to those around him. The sheriff’s office expressed condolences to Hill’s family and said he had been trying to assist a person who appeared to need help when the encounter turned deadly.
Court records cited by local news organizations show Raul Vazquez was already out on bond in a separate aggravated assault case when Hill was killed. A judge subsequently ordered him held without bond on the second-degree murder charge and revoked his bond in the earlier case, according to FOX 35 Orlando. The State Attorney’s Office has stressed that an arrest is not a conviction and that criminal cases must be evaluated on the available evidence and applicable law.
Vazquez remained in custody as the criminal case moved forward. PEOPLE reported that court records listed a hearing for Aug. 17. Authorities have not publicly established a motive for the shooting beyond the confrontation described by investigators, and the case remains subject to further court proceedings.