One of the two men who shot each other’s daughters in a road rage incident testified that charges against him were dropped after prosecutors determined he acted in self-defense.
Frank Allison, 44, shot and killed William Hill, 36, after the two began swerving and checking the brakes on a Florida highway last year. Hill’s car was shot after the 36-year-old threw a water bottle into his car during the fight.
But authorities decided his first shot was justified under Florida’s ‘hold it out’ self-defense law, asserting that Hill was at fault in the ensuing chaos.
Allison fired a single shot into Hill’s car after throwing the bottle, hitting Hill’s 5-year-old daughter in the leg. Hill responded by emptying a semi-automatic Glock pistol into Allison’s car, and striking his 14-year-old daughter in the back, causing her to suffer a collapsed lung.
Both men initially faced attempted murder charges after the incident, until Allison’s charges were dropped earlier this month. Speaking at the time of the shooting, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Lieber said, “Two dead children may have been caused by two stupid adult men.”
William Hill, 35, of Douglas, GA (left) and Frank Allison, 43, of Callahan, FL (right) shot each other’s daughters in a road rage incident
Prosecutors allege the highway shooting broke out after Hill tried to stop Allison off Highway 1 near Callahan, Florida.
At one point during the skirmish, Hill pulled his Dodge Ram pickup truck alongside a Nissan Murano Allison, rolled his window down and berated the driver as his wife pointed out the window.
Allison rolled out his window and screamed in turn, before throwing a water bottle into Hill’s truck, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
The two men accused the other of aggressive and erratic driving and the other for “checking the brakes”. A witness also alleged that Hill was the aggressor, claiming he tried to get his opponent out of the way.
The witness, whom the prosecution said was “the only independent witness in the case” after the stories told by the two men differed, told police he witnessed a “cat and mouse” driving game between the two drivers.
Although he did not witness the shooting, he said he felt compelled to call 911 before the shots were fired because he “knew something bad was going to happen,” according to him. Fox News.
Allison responded to the alleged provocation by firing a single shot into Hill’s car, which struck his 5-year-old daughter in the upper calf.
The gunfire causes Hale to return fire, emptying his gun magazine into Allison’s car. Both men had concealed pregnancy permits and no previous criminal records.
Frank Allison, pictured right, saw his attempted murder charges dropped after he fatally shot the daughter of another motorist in a road rage incident
William Hill, pictured left, is scheduled to appear in court on April 20. He faces multiple criminal charges, including three counts of attempted murder for the shooting.
A chilling 911 call was made after the mother of one of the children who had been shot pleaded for help.
“My daughter has been injured – please help me,” she says, while her daughter can be heard crying in the car.
She said, “I don’t want to die.” News4Jax.
The two drivers continued to head north, with their injured daughters behind.
But the couple was eventually pulled over by a patrol car at the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, before fighting and arguing with each other on the side of the road.
Bodycam footage shows first responders rushing to their daughters’ aid as the two men were separated, as they told different versions of the incident.
The pair were initially booked into prison for attempted murder, but Alison has since seen the charges against him be dropped.
“William Hill’s aggressive driving style and the throwing of a water bottle caused the Ellisons to fear imminent death or great bodily harm and constitute a coercive felony,” the state’s attorney said in a statement released after the charges were dropped.
William Hill’s actions – independently and collectively – justify Frank Allison’s use of lethal force against William Hill. As such, the state declines to press charges against Frank Allison and chooses to press charges against William Hale.
Hill is scheduled to appear in court on April 20. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder by shooting, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count of “lethal shooting or throwing” of the water bottle.
Florida stands your stat
Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed in 2012
In 2005, Florida enacted its law according to which it is legal for a person to exercise deadly force if;
i) the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or grievous bodily harm to himself or herself or to another, or to prevent imminent commission of an involuntary felony; or
II) The person acted on a reasonable belief that force is necessary
In most cases, self-defense only functions as a criminal defense if the person tries and fails to remove themselves from danger first. It is known as the “duty of retreat”.
Standing on the ground differs because it does not impose a duty to fall back.
George Zimmerman, who shot the teen, was acquitted after the Stand Your Ground defense was used
In Florida, the law not only protects a person from criminal prosecution, but also from civil action.
It is one of the 25 strongest states with laws that have stood up to you.
Most are in the South and 10 actually include “hold out” in legislation.
It sparked outrage in 2012 in Florida when a jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of teen Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman, a Sanford Township neighborhood watch volunteer, followed Martin, who he said was acting “suspicious,” as he walked to 7-Eleven to get a snack.
They got into an altercation afterward and Zimmerman shot him in the chest.
The teen was unarmed and died three minutes later. But Zimmerman said he feared for his life and the jury believed him.
