A Florida father was fatally shot Tuesday morning shortly after dropping off his 10-year-old daughter for her first day of elementary school, after authorities say he stepped in to help during a violent dispute between a man and a woman.
Daryl Hill, 56, was killed near Wolf Lake Elementary School in Apopka, leaving behind his wife, two adult children and his young daughter, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
“He’s got the biggest heart in the entire world,” his son, Damon Hill, told the station. “He loved everybody… He just loved his fellow person, and he was very non-judgmental.”
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses reported seeing a man and woman fighting inside a vehicle moments before the vehicle crashed and the confrontation continued outside.
Daryl Hill, center, is survived by his wife, two adult children and 10-year-old daughter, according to FOX 35 Orlando. (Damon Hill/WOFL)
“Witnessing that altercation, a Good Samaritan attempted to intervene and was shot. That man, 56-year-old Daryl Alexander Hill, later died at the hospital,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said Hill was trying to assist someone who appeared to be in danger when he was shot by 26-year-old Raul Lionel Vazquez. Vazquez was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said.
Suzanne Hill, Daryl’s wife, told Spectrum News 13 that her husband cared deeply for others, whether they were “friend, family and stranger,” adding that he “cared for everybody and helped everybody and always stepped in, which I think is ultimately what took his life.”
Police said the shooting happened at Plymouth Sorrento and West Ponkan roads in Apopka, which is down the road from the elementary school.
Before Hill was shot, Vazquez and a woman, Kaidy Honaker, were seen by multiple witnesses fighting inside their white Chevy Silverado pickup truck when it crashed into a black Lexus, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by News Outlet. The two continued their heated altercation on the sidewalk.
Daryl Hill, left, allegedly was shot and killed by suspect Raul Lionel Vazquez on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Apopka, Fla. (Camil Reyes/WOFL; Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Vazquez, who was seen shirtless and wearing no shoes, got in Honaker’s face and appeared to be yelling and 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.
According to the affidavit, Honaker joined the fight as well, later saying she did so to pull Hill off Vazquez.
An undated photo of Daryl Alexander Hill and his wife, Suzy Hill. Hill leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter. (GoFundMe)
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.
At the time of the shooting, Vazquez was out on bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
FOX 35 reported that a judge has since revoked that bond and ordered him held without bond in that case and for the second-degree murder charge.
