Jessica Hilliard, 34, was killed outside Niki’s Quick Six after police say a parking lot fight turned into a shooting.
PARKS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Jessica Hilliard’s family says the mother of three spent her last moments doing what they knew her for: stepping toward someone who needed help, even as danger waited outside a local bar.
Hilliard, 34, of Apollo, was shot and killed April 26 outside Niki’s Quick Six in Parks Township, where police say a confrontation in the parking lot escalated into gunfire. Three other people were wounded. David Dunmire, 36, of Vandergrift, was arrested at the scene and charged in a criminal case that includes homicide and attempted homicide counts.
For Hilliard’s sisters, the police report became part of a much larger loss. They described her as a mother who carried the weight of her children’s needs, a sister who brought noise and humor into the room and a friend who could not ignore a person in trouble. “She was a great mother and a very great friend. My best friend,” Hailey Frawley said. Amanda Evacheck said she kept thinking about the family’s circle shrinking. “I just keep thinking about how our three went to two, and it breaks my heart,” Evacheck said. “My heart is broken.”
The night began as a late stop at a neighborhood bar on 1st Street. Police said Dunmire was involved in a verbal altercation outside shortly after 1 a.m. A woman then entered the bar and said she had been jumped outside. Hilliard and several others went out to intervene, according to police and family members. Investigators said Dunmire produced a firearm and fired multiple rounds into the group. Hilliard was hit multiple times in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
State police said Rebecca Boston, 24, of McIntyre, also was found at the scene with gunshot wounds and was listed in critical condition. Hector Saballos, 34, and Dominik Dellach, 25, both of Vandergrift, left before troopers arrived and were later listed in stable condition. The state police public release identified all four as victims and said the shooting followed a physical altercation in the parking lot. Police have not publicly released every detail about what happened in the minutes before the first shot.
Hilliard’s relatives said the decision to go outside matched the way she lived. “Our sister died a hero, and she is the kind of person who would always jump in to help anybody, regardless of if she knew them or not,” Evacheck said. Frawley said Hilliard and another person believed a woman was being hurt and tried to stop it. Their words turned Hilliard’s final act into the center of the family’s public grief, even as investigators focused on evidence, charges and the path to court.
The Armstrong County Coroner’s Office ruled Hilliard’s death a homicide. The Pennsylvania State Police Kittanning station listed the incident time as 1:16 a.m. April 26 and the location as Niki’s Quick Six, 1024 1st St., Vandergrift, in Parks Township. Kiskiminetas Patrol Officer Aaron Artz was listed as the first officer at the scene. Trooper Timothy Reilly was named as the investigating officer. Troopers said Dunmire remained at the scene and was taken into custody without incident.
Family members said Hilliard leaves behind three children and a daily life built around caring for them. Frawley said her sister was “a very dedicated and great mother” and handled her children’s health needs with care and attention. Evacheck said the family’s immediate focus after the shooting was planning services and deciding how to support the children after their mother’s death. A fundraiser created for the family described Hilliard as protective, strong and deeply loved.
The criminal case has moved beyond the first hours after the shooting. Dunmire was arraigned after his arrest, and the charges later advanced after a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors are expected to carry the case into Armstrong County court, where the death of Hilliard and the wounds suffered by Boston, Saballos and Dellach will remain central to the allegations. Dunmire has not been convicted, and the charges are accusations that must be proven in court.
The bar itself has remained part of the aftermath. Niki’s Quick Six later closed after sheriff’s deputies served civil papers on the owner. Officials said the documents were tied to an emergency injunction, but the contents were not made public. A later hearing ended in a private resolution, and court records were shielded by a protective order. That separate matter did not change the core criminal allegation: Police say a parking lot fight ended with Dunmire firing into a group of people.
Neighbors and family members expressed shock that an argument at a bar could end with a death. Eric Crusan, a Parks Township resident, said he was heartbroken, upset and angry after the shooting. “Nobody should be shooting somebody over some kind of argument in a bar,” Crusan said. For Hilliard’s family, the public details have become part of a painful record of the night she died while trying to help someone else.
The case now sits with Armstrong County authorities as investigators and prosecutors continue to build the record. Hilliard’s family has said its next concern remains her children and the life they face without her.
Author note: Last updated 2026-05-21.