A 39-year-old man is dead and a Silver Springs woman is behind bars after a roadside shooting in Ocklawaha that law enforcement officials say was a case of mistaken identity.
Jennifer Sue Hill, 41, of 478 NE 171st Ave., was charged Sunday with second-degree murder in the death of Michael Tron Hofacker, who was shot in the head at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the 3200 block of S. Highway 314A. Hill is being held on no bond.
The first Marion County sheriff’s deputy on the scene heard Hill say, “I shot him,” and that she saw something black in the Hofacker’s hand and thought it was a gun. The deputy saw a gunshot wound above Hofacker’s right eye and also heard an eyewitness yelling that Hill shot Hofacker, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Hofacker was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he died from his injuries at 12:11 p.m. Sunday.
The eyewitness told a sheriff’s detective that she and Hofacker are friends and they were walking north on the side of the road when a white four-door vehicle approached from the north and pulled near them. She said Hofacker told her to stay back as he approached the passenger side of the car, the report said.
The witness said she had a cup, flashlight and fishing pole in her hands and Hofacker had everything else, including a backpack and her purse. She said he did not have anything in his hands and did not make any aggressive movements as he approached the car. The witness said Hill asked Hofacker his name and he replied, “Mikey.” She said she then heard a single gunshot, according to the report.
The witness said Hill got out of the vehicle and said she shot the wrong person and that Hofacker had pulled a gun on her. She said Hill identified Hofacker as “Michael Beach,” and at that time the witness told him it was not the same “Michael.” The witness said Hill went over to Hofacker, lifted the purse from his face, and recognized it was not the person she thought it was. She said Hill started pacing around, threw her gun on the ground and yelled for someone to call 911, the report said.
The witness said she and Hofacker had been stopped by deputies earlier and he was asked if he was Michael Beach. They said they had never heard of Michael Beach and were soon released. Sheriff’s office records show this was at 6:13 p.m., a little more than an hour before the shooting was reported, according to the report.
Hill’s daughter was driving a vehicle that came upon the shooting after it happened. She said she saw Hofacker on the ground and Hill outside yelling, “I shot him, he had a gun,” and “His name is Michael,” the report said.
Hill’s daughter told the detective that the home belonging to Hill and her father had been broken into on Nov. 20 and numerous valuables had been stolen, including a safe, 20 guns and various electronics. Hill’s daughter said Michael Beach had been identified as a possible suspect. She said three days before the shooting, Michael Beach has pulled a gun on Hill. Hill’s daughter said Hill carries a gun in her purse and believes it is a .380 caliber, according to the report.
The driver of the vehicle that Hill was in told the detective they saw a man walking on the side of the road and Hill thought it was Michael Beach. She said they pulled up next to him and Hill asked the man, “What is your name,” and he asked, “Why?” The driver said Hill asked again and the man said, “Michael,” and there was a single pop of gunfire. She said Hill said, “He pulled a gun on me.” The driver said Hofacker did not act in a threatening manner, but she couldn’t see what was in his hands, the report said.
The detective spoke with Hill, who had numerous inconsistencies in her statement. She acknowledged shooting Hofaker but said he had a gun and was walking toward her with it. She demonstrated him pointing at her, first with a two-handed grip and then with a one-handed grip while holding a flashlight in his left hand. Hill said upon seeing the gun, she yelled five or six times, “He has a gun.” Nobody else who was interviewed mentioned that, according to the report.
Hill said after she shot Hofacker, she got out of the vehicle and kicked the gun out of his hand. She said she stood away from everyone and placed her gun on the ground. Hill said prior to deputies’ arrival, a black truck pulled up and a white male got out and picked up Hofacker’s small black handgun. Hill said the man was told by the witness to “get it and go.” She later said it may not have been a black truck, and that she just assumed it was because of how that vehicle was parked in the roadway, the report said.
No evidence was discovered during the investigation that corroborated Hofacker being in possession of a firearm during the incident, according to the report.
Hill will answer to the second-degree murder charge in Marion County Court on Dec. 29.