Suzanne Hill kissed her husband Daryl goodbye Tuesday before she headed off to work, the usual morning routine for the couple after 17 years of marriage.
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Daryl, 56, riding the family’s new orange e-tricycle, later dropped off their 10-year-old daughter for her first day of school, the youngster riding alongside him on her scooter. He then texted Hill that he was on his way home.
But after an hour, Hill could see through an online tracker that her husband’s phone remained at an intersection just a short distance from their Apopka-area home. Thinking he had dropped the phone on his way back, she left work to let him know.
She couldn’t make make it home because police had closed off the intersection.
“I started seeing crime scene tape…I asked the cops what happened and can I possibly get through?…I said my husband was on his way, I just need to get his phone because it’s probably over there,” Hill said.
Then a deputy said, “Please wait here, ma’am.”
Hill waited and waited, until a deputy came and told her devastating news: Daryl Alexander Hill had stopped to intervene in a fight between a woman and man whose truck had crashed into another car, and was shot and killed not long after he pedaled away from his daughter’s school.
The other man had pulled the woman from the truck and was yelling at her as Daryl Hill rode up on his bike, according to documents from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Her husband, Hill said, was a fun-loving man known for his big heart, devotion to his young daughter and passion for roller skating. A compassionate and giving man, he was always willing to help anyone in need and though that kindness is what got him killed, he wouldn’t have regretted it, she said.
“He saw somebody in trouble and he was trying to help her, and ultimately that’s what took his life. He’s always been my hero, and I am so proud,” she said. “This would be the way he’d want to go…as a helper.”
Deputies have charged the man from the fight, Raul Lionel Vazquez, 26, with second-degree murder in Hill’s death. Witnesses told deputies they saw Vazquez grab a shot gun from his truck and fire at Hill, who by then was trying to run away.
Vazquez, who has a history of violent arrests, is currently in custody at the Orange County Jail.
“He’s a monster and a coward. He shot my husband in the back,” Suzanne Hill said.
Both she and her daughter are heartbroken and devastated, she said. Hill, a speech pathologist for Orange County Public Schools, is taking time off work and the 10-year-old will likely miss some school as they come to terms with their loss. Daryl also has two adult sons from previous relationships, she said.
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Hill said she and Daryl met on a MySpace chatroom 18 years ago. After they became a couple, they tried for years to have a child and 10 years ago had their “miracle.”
Daryl was a doting and protective father, always trying to make sure their daughter was having fun.
He was also heavily involved at her school, Wolf Lake Elementary. Superintendent Maria Vazquez honored him on Facebook the day after his death.
“A beloved member of the Wolf Lake family, Mr. Hill was known by teachers, parents, and students alike,” she wrote. “He was a ray of sunshine to his family and those around him, active in the school community and quick to help with any request.”
Hill said she found it hilarious that Daryl came to the superintendent’s attention before she did, given her long tenure with the district. But she said it was no surprise given Daryl’s larger-than-life personality, which made an unforgettable impression on everyone he met.
Daryl was outgoing and especially enjoyed roller-skating. He visited the Semoran Skateway rink in Casselberry twice a week for the past several years. The rink is holding a tribute for Daryl this upcoming Tuesday evening. One dollar of each admission will go to his family.
Daryl Hill owned a business where he bought and sold the contents of other people’s storage units.
As one final act of kindness, Daryl’s corneas will be donated so they can help people see again, which Hill said is what he would have wanted.
Camil Reyes, a close family friend, has set up a GoFundMe page to help support his widow and child. It had raised $32,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Friday.
“I always tell everybody if you’re a believer just keep praying for them, especially for their daughter because she really is going to need a lot of strength,” Reyes said. “She was the apple of his eye…you could just feel the love between them.”