Weeks after being shot in the lower stomach across the street from the University of Florida, Hannah Hanlon doesn’t blame the man who shot her.
Fabian Marcel Rivera, 24, of Ocala faces an attempted murder charge after police said he shot Hanlon, 19, in the stomach near popular bars and restaurants across the street from the University of Florida early on Sept. 22 and fled toward two crowded dormitory buildings.
“He’s a great guy we’ve known each other for years now,” Hanlon wrote in a text message to a reporter. “He was drunk and didn’t know it was loaded, we were just joking around.”
The shot destroyed most of her bowels and large intestines, requiring doctors to cut and reattach the sections over two days of surgery that lasted a combined 10 hours. The incident also left Hannah Hanlon with damaged nerves in her left leg and a fractured pelvis, said her mother, Jennifer Hanlon, 46.
She is home recovering. Hannah Hanlon requires a walker and constant assistance, from changing bandages to showering. Even with a shower chair and a brief, five-minute rinse, “she almost passes out every time,” Jennifer Hanlon said.
Her parents said the shooting has left Hannah Hanlon depressed and anxious.
“I think she’s going to have trust issues for the rest of her life,” Jennifer Hanlon said.
Hannah Hanlon said she believes Rivera had no bad intentions. Days after the shooting, she wrote in an Instagram story, “Anything y’all heard on the news about the shooting ain’t true just to let y’all know.”
Police said the shooting was caught on video. Surveillance footage showed Rivera seated in the front passenger seat of a car talking to Hannah Hanlon who was standing outside the driver’s door. Police said Rivera grabbed a handgun from the car’s center console, leaned in front of the driver and shot Hannah Hanlon in the lower abdomen around 3:30 a.m.
Police who saw the surveillance video said Rivera stared at the woman for 30 seconds after he fired, then stepped out of the car, threw a drink can into some nearby bushes and ran from the scene onto the University of Florida’s campus.
The driver – who told police he was Hannah Hanlon’s friend – was on his phone during the shooting, according to the arrest report. After hearing the shot, he told police he looked at Rivera and helped Hannah Hanlon. Another man who said he also was her friend rushed over when he heard a gunshot and applied pressure to stop her bleeding, he told officers.
After police arrested Rivera, he told officers the shooting was an accident, but they didn’t believe him. He said he was trying to secure the gun in the console after seeing it accessible and recognizing that everyone had been drinking. He “was unable to answer why the (victim) was shot if he was trying to secure the firearm,” Officer Kristen Hall wrote, adding, “None of (Rivera’s) statements were consistent with what was viewed on video surveillance.”
Rivera told police Hannah Hanlon was “like a little sister” to him. The woman lives less than one mile from Rivera’s home in Ocala. Hannah Hanlon echoed what Rivera told police earlier, and said he was not aware the gun was loaded.
Rivera remained in jail Wednesday without bond, facing a felony attempted murder charge and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. He has not been trespassed from UF’s campus, according to its active trespass site. He could not be reached for comment because the sheriff’s office prohibits inmates from media interviews without written permission from a defense lawyer and a senior jail official.
Hannah’s family hasn’t seen the security footage yet, Jennifer Hanlon said, as Rivera’s pre-trial hearing was rescheduled from Sept. 26 to Monday without their knowledge. Without seeing the video, Jennifer still has questions.“I want to believe my daughter, but I’m not sure she realizes the severity,” she said. “If he’s your friend, why would he pick up a gun and point it at you?”
There were questions about why Rivera wasn’t already in jail before the shooting: In April, he was arrested after he was accused of fleeing from authorities after speeding, then in July he was arrested for what police described as running after a fight and again in August after a judge said he didn’t show up for court. Rivera was released on bond again after his Aug. 28 arrest – less than four weeks before Sunday’s shooting.
The injuries also carry a substantial financial burden on the family. Hannah is now unable to work. Jennifer Hanlon, who works as a high school teacher, has been caring for her daughter the past two weeks and her father, James Hanlon, 62, is disabled.
To recoup costs for Hannah Hanlon, who is expected to need a walker for at least six more months, the family created a GoFundMe to raise money until Hannah Hanlon can return to work. Anyone interested can donate at: https://gofund.me/9e695014.
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This is a breaking news story. Check back for further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.