A Florida man who stepped in during a roadside confrontation after a crash was fatally shot, authorities said — and the accused gunman was already free on bond in an unrelated aggravated assault case involving a deadly weapon.
Raul Lionel Vazquez, 26, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of 56-year-old Daryl Alexander Hill, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media.
Deputies were called at 8:27 a.m. Tuesday to an intersection in Apopka, northwest of Orlando, where they found Hill face down with a gunshot wound, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by News Outlet.
Hill, a husband and father to a 10-year-old daughter, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m., the affidavit said.
Raul Lionel Vazquez, 26, is shown in a booking photo after being charged Tuesday with second-degree murder. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says he shot 56-year-old Daryl Alexander Hill in Apopka, Fla. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
A GoFundMe created by a friend of Hill’s wife, Suzy Hill, remembered him as a man with “a contagious personality, an incredible sense of humor, and a way of bringing laughter and joy to the people around him.”
Investigators said the events began when Vazquez and a woman, Kaidy Honaker, were seen by several witnesses arguing inside a white Chevy Silverado pickup before it collided with a black Lexus. The dispute then spilled onto the sidewalk, according to the affidavit.
Vazquez, described by witnesses as shirtless and barefoot, moved close to Honaker and appeared to be yelling while pointing at her, the affidavit said.
Two witnesses said they saw Hill riding a bicycle nearby and told authorities that he got involved in the argument, which led to Vazquez and Hill tackling each other into the bushes, per the affidavit.
An undated photo of Daryl Alexander Hill and his wife, Suzy Hill. He also leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter. (GoFundMe)
According to the affidavit, Honaker joined the fight as well, later saying she did so to pull Hill off Vazquez.
After the fight in the bushes, Hill began running away from Vazquez and Honaker, yelling “help” with his hands in the air, the affidavit said.
Vazquez retrieved what was later determined to be a shotgun from his pickup truck and fired one round, hitting Hill and causing him to fall to the ground, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with investigators, Vazquez offered “many different accounts” of what happened but said that Hill “was fighting him and getting the better of him,” according to the affidavit.
Vazquez did not have an attorney on record. News Outlet reached out to the public defender’s office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which serves Orange and Osceola counties.
Vazquez is escorted by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
At the time of the shooting, Vazquez was out on bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Apopka Police Department investigated that case, which involved Vazquez and an accomplice allegedly threatening two people with a gun on Nov. 13, 2025, according to court records obtained by News Outlet.
In February, Vazquez pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted a surety bond of $5,000.
The State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit told News Outlet that the conditions of the bond included “no contact with the co-defendant, victims, or witnesses, as well as a requirement that he surrender any firearms within 24 hours of release.”
The trial for that case is scheduled for Sept. 22, the state attorney’s office said.
Vazquez is loaded into a police vehicle on Tuesday. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
State Attorney Monique Worrell said in a statement to News Outlet that it recognizes “questions surrounding [Vasquez’s] prior arrests.”
“An arrest is not a conviction, and every case must be evaluated based on the evidence available, the participation of witnesses and victims, and the law,” Worrell said. “Where the evidence supports prosecution, our office prosecutes. Where the evidence does not legally or ethically support moving forward, prosecutors cannot pursue a case simply because an arrest was made.
“The public deserves accurate information about how those prior cases were handled, and we will provide that information to the extent we can without compromising this active prosecution.”
Vazquez was also arrested in March 2025 for a domestic violence incident that allegedly involved strangling someone, per court records.
He pleaded not guilty, and his bond was later discharged.
The state attorney’s office told News Outlet that prosecutors could not proceed with the case because the alleged victim “was unavailable or unwilling to cooperate.”
