Police release 911 call in Vermilion murder

In a frantic phone call to 911 on Thursday, a 10-year-old girl led police to her mother's alleged killer: "My mom's boyfriend pulled out a gun and said he's gonna shoot us both, and I don't know what to do." The call sent Vermilion police to 525 Ferndale Ave. in time to see Bryan J. Hall open fire on Ashlee McPeak, then turn the gun on himself before pulling it away from his head at the last second. The girl identified herself in the call as McPeak's 10-year-old daughter and detailed the events that led to Hall, 35, of Lorain allegedly fatally shooting McPeak, 34 of Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the driveway of the Ferndale Avenue house early Thursday morning. Hall was being held without bond in the Lorain County Jail on two counts of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault, all felonies, and two counts of aggravated menacing, both misdemeanors. Court records do not say if he has an attorney. Hall's next court appearance is scheduled Thursday in Vermilion Municipal Court. McPeak was packing to leave when Hall allegedly pulled out a handgun, her daughter told the operator. The girl ran away when her mother told her to and called for help. After Hall and McPeak left the house, the girl said she and her mother briefly ran behind a neighboring church before returning to the house. The girl called for help from the side of the road. She told the operator Hall had found them and was now walking with her mother. "OK, stay with me," the operator told the child. Back inside the house, where dispatchers told her to stay in a bedroom and lock the door, the child said she could hear her mother scream and she could see the driveway. "I think she's dead," the girl said, as police arrived. "She's laying on the ground — Can I go out please? I don't want her to be dead." Vermilion Police Chief Chris Hartung confirmed Thursday that the girl is safe and with family from Tennessee. Hall was arraigned in Vermilion Municipal Court on Thursday afternoon. He faces a possible life sentence without parole if convicted of aggravated murder, though the charges against him may change once the case is presented to a Lorain County grand jury.The Chronicle-Telegram has requested officers' body worn camera and dashboard camera footage from the Vermilion Police Department. Contact Richard Perrins at (440) 687-5172 or email rperrins@chroniclet.com.