A YouTuber's girlfriend was shot in the leg by her former partner, as harrowing footage showed the pair hiding from the gunman moments before he turned the gun on himself.
Hunter Avallone, who has 565,000 followers on YouTube, was with his girlfriend Holle Peno in his apartment in Martinsburg, West Virginia, when her armed ex-boyfriend tried to enter the building.
Her ex, named Conrad, shot through the door of the building just after noon on Friday, hitting Peno in the leg. She had recently broken up with him after eleven years together, claiming he had been abusive during their relationship.
Holle posted photos of her bloodied limb with the bullet still lodged in it. She was also injured by broken glass and shrapnel.
The couple rushed to the unit's balcony as they called police. Avallone posted a video showing the suspect trying to kick in his front door before shooting himself as police arrived.
Conrad died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed.
YouTuber Hunter Avallone with his girlfriend, Twitch streamer Holle Peno. Holle's ex-boyfriend shot her leg when he tried to enter Avallone's apartment
Holle Peno is seen holding a bloody towel after being shot in the leg by her ex-boyfriend. She is seen standing on the balcony of the apartment, moments before police confronted the gunman and he ended up shooting himself
In the clip, Avallone is heard talking to a 911 operator as his girlfriend Holle pants in the background, blood pouring from her leg.
He says his landlord called him to say a “shady” man with a gun was trying to enter his building. Moments later, loud bangs are heard as the suspect tried to open the door.
In the clip, Holle can be seen trying to stop the blood flow with a soaked white towel.
Police officers can then be heard shouting, “Show me your damn hands!” at the suspect – before about six gunshots ring out.
Avallone wrote, “I'm still trying to process this and I'm most likely in shock as I write this.
“But a few hours ago, Holle's ex-boyfriend Conrad showed up at my apartment building with a shotgun.
'He shot through the door of my building, wounding Holle's leg. I recorded the last moments of us hiding on the porch.
“You can hear him shooting at the police before he finally kills himself… in the hallway of my own damn apartment. Still trying to process this.
'Holle and I are physically fine, but mentally this is going to cause serious damage.
“Holle has been amazing and she has been incredibly courageous and strong throughout this ordeal.”
After the situation, Holle posted her leg wounds on her social media and wrote: 'I'm in the hospital. Conrad came to Hunter's house with a shotgun and shot me in the leg. We are safe now and luckily Hunter is unharmed.
'Conrad was shot dead. I'm really having a hard time right now, wtf just happened.'
Holle is a popular Twitch streamer with 16,900 followers on the platform. She is also an advocate for mental health – and often speaks about her experiences with domestic violence in previous relationships.
She said of being with her ex-boyfriend Conrad for 11 years: “I'm starting to come out of shock. I feel so torn inside.
“Despite the abuse, I loved him for 11 years, and he couldn't love me enough to let me leave. I'm sad, and angry, and sorry, and heartbroken… I'm struggling.
'It hurts. I can't believe he did that.'
Text messages sent during the ordeal before Conrad shot himself showed him actually trying to shoot Avallone. The ex told Holle that he “never intended” to shoot her.
He wrote: 'I should have killed the coward.'
Holle is a popular Twitch streamer with 16,900 followers on the platform
Hunter Avallone has 565,000 followers on YouTube
Police officers can then be heard shouting, “Show me your damn hands!” at the suspect – before about six gunshots ring out
a GoFundMefounded to help Holle with medical expenses, read: “Holle was shot by her ex-fiancée Conrad with a shotgun: he tried to enter an apartment building, was shot through the glass front door while Holle sat behind it, wounding her leg.”
'When police arrived on the scene, Conrad tried to shoot at them before killing himself.
“She is currently injured, heartbroken and in pain. We're still trying to process all of this. She is physically, emotionally and mentally wounded after everything has taken place, shaken by everything that has happened.
“The money will be used to pay hospital bills and meet her own personal expenses due to her disability, including the costs of therapy, travel, food, existing debts and anything she may need in the near future.
“Now that he has passed away, she still has to pay the accrued debt they both shared. This fund is an umbrella designed to cover as much as possible until she can get her life back on track.”
Martinsburg police confirmed the incident.
In a statement they said: 'On Friday December 8, an unknown man arrived at the location armed with a shotgun. The person discharged the firearm through the outside door of the building, striking a female victim.
“Martinsburg Police immediately responded to the scene and engaged with the armed suspect as he attempted to enter an interior door of the apartment while continuing to fire his weapon.
“A brief exchange of gunfire ensued, during which the suspect committed suicide.”
Martinsburg Police Chief Erin Gibbons said, “Our officers responded quickly and courageously to this dangerous situation.
“I have no doubt that their decisive actions prevented further damage and potentially saved lives.
“I am deeply proud of their courage and dedication to protecting our community.
“MPD extends its gratitude to the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, the West Virginia State Police and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force for their invaluable assistance at the scene and in the ongoing investigation of this incident.”