Boyfriend Charged With Attempted Second-Degree Murder After Girlfriend Was Shot In Head

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Palm Coast, FL - A man is now facing an attempted second-degree murder charge after Flagler County investigators tie him to a shooting that left his girlfriend with a life-altering injury.

Back on March 26, Flagler County dispatch received a call from 32-year-old Brenan Hill, who was screaming and stated that he was driving to the hospital because his girlfriend, the victim, had been shot in the head. Hill told operators that his girlfriend was shot behind the Microtel Inn & Suites on Kingswood Drive after a black male supposedly approached the pair and asked to buy weed from them. When asked about the shooter's whereabouts, Hill replied that he didn't know.

As operators were speaking with Hill, Hill's mother also called Flagler County dispatch. The mother told operators that her son just told her he was robbed and his girlfriend was shot in the head. According to investigators, Hill's mother stated multiple times during the call that her son was "32-years-old and innocent."

After Hill arrived at the hospital just before 10:00 that morning, deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) came to interview Hill about the incident. Per Hill's narrative, he and his girlfriend had been staying at the Microtel Inn and Suites for the last two weeks, but they had to leave that day because the room was already booked for Spring Break. Hill then added that he and the victim had driven to the Graham Swamp West Trailhead parking lot and were attempting to book another hotel room when the black male approached the car and shot the victim.

Further investigation by FCSO found that Hill had an active warrant for his arrest in connection to a domestic violence charge from Pennsylvania and was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice. At that point, Hill was also arrested on additional charges from the FCSO for hashish possession, marijuana possession, cocaine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being a fugitive from justice. Hill was then taken to the Flagler County Jail.

In the months following the incident, FCSO's Major Case Unit was able to build a case against Hill using technology and forensic evidence that eventually identified him as the shooter and disproved his initial claims of a botched robbery. At a press conference on Monday (June 14), Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said Hill's inconsistent story is one of the giveaways that identified him as the suspect.

"His statements on what happened and where it occurred kept changing and did not match the evidence," said Sheriff Staly.

Hill has since been served an arrest warrant for attempted second-degree murder and remains in custody at the Flagler County Jail. According to the FCSO, the victim in this case, who remains unidentified, suffered a life-altering injury and continues to need 24-hour care.

"This guy tried to cover-up his crime and hide the gun before he even called 9-1-1," added Sheriff Staly. "He was not concerned with saving his girlfriend’s life, but instead saving his own skin and trying to avoid taking any responsibility for his actions. The victim is very fortunate to still be alive but this attack will affect her the rest of her life."

If convicted, Hill could spend 15 or more years in prison.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, know that help is available. For immediate help dial 9-1-1 or call your local non-emergency number. You can also call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119. You can also click here to see a list of domestic violence centers in the state.