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Son remembers dad shot and killed trying to stop alleged attack in Apopka
Darrell Hill, a father of three, was shot and killed after deputies say he tried to stop a man from attacking a woman in Apopka. Investigators say Raul Vasquez pulled a shotgun from his crashed truck and shot Hill in the back as Hill tried to run. Hill’s son remembered his father as a caring, nonjudgmental man who routinely helped others.
APOPKA, Fla. - A 56-year-old father of three was shot and killed after authorities say he tried to intervene when he saw a man attacking a woman in Apopka.
His death has left a family and school community mourning a man they described as someone who routinely stepped in to help others.
What we know:
Daryl Hill had just dropped off his 10-year-old daughter for her first day at Wolf Lake Elementary School when he encountered a confrontation near West Ponkan Road. Orange County sheriff's deputies said Hill saw 26-year-old Raul Lionel Vazquez attacking a woman and stepped in to help.
Investigators said Vazquez then retrieved a gun from his crashed truck and shot Hill.
What they're saying:
For Damon Hill, his father's decision to intervene was not surprising.
Damon Hill described his father as a loving and caring man.
"He’s got the biggest heart in the entire world," Damon Hill said of his father, Daryl Hill.
Hill leaves behind his wife, two adult children and his 10-year-old daughter.
Daryl Hill and family members.
"He loved everybody," Hill said. "He just loved his fellow person and he was very non-judgmental."
Family friend Camil Reyes, who has known the family for about a decade, said Hill's personality made him difficult to miss.
"Daryl was larger than life," Reyes said. "He had the most contagious personality, and he outshined everybody, so you knew he was there even if he didn't say he was there."
Reyes said the circumstances surrounding Hill's death have made the loss particularly difficult for those who knew him.
"This is truly a tragic loss, a senseless loss, and we are heartbroken," Reyes said. "We are angry because it didn’t have to happen. He didn’t have to lose his life."
Hill was also an active member of the Wolf Lake Elementary School community. The superintendent of Orange County Public Schools described him as "a ray of sunshine to his family and those around him," and said he was quick to help whenever he was needed.
Suspect held without bond
Dig deeper:
As Hill's family mourns, Vazquez remains behind bars. A judge ordered him held without bond on a second-degree murder charge.
Vazquez was already free on bond in a separate aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case. During his court appearance, the judge revoked that bond and ordered him held without bond in that case as well.
26-year-old Raul Lionel Vazquez was arrested on second-degree murder for a shooting death in Apopka on Aug. 11, 2026.
Vazquez had also been arrested in May 2024 and March 2025. The State Attorney's Office said prosecutors were unable to move forward with those cases because the alleged victim was unavailable or unwilling to cooperate.
"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," State Attorney Monique Worrell said in a statement.
Raul Lionel Vazquez [Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office]
Hill's family is now preparing to celebrate the life of a husband and father they say spent his life caring for others.
For his son, the way Daryl Hill died is inseparable from the way he lived: He saw someone who needed help and stepped in.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the office of State Attorney Monique Worrell, Daryl Hill's son, Damon Hill, and a family friend. Camil Reyes.