YouTuber's girlfriend is shot by her ex-boyfriend as harrowing footage shows them hiding from gunman moments before he turns weapon on himself

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 weapon on himself. 

Hunter Avallone, who has 565,000 followers on YouTube, was at his Martinsburg, West Virginia, apartment with his girlfriend Holle Peno when her armed ex-boyfriend attempted to enter the building.

Her ex, referred to as Conrad, shot through the door of the building, hitting Peno in the leg on Friday just after midday. She had recently broken up with him after 11 years together - claiming he had been abusive during their relationship. 

Holle posted images of her bloody limb with the bullet still lodged inside. She had also been injured by shattered glass and shrapnel. 

The couple rushed to the balcony of the unit as they called the cops. Avallone posted a video showing the suspect trying to pound down his front door - before he shot himself when police arrived. 

Conrad died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed.  

In the clip, Avallone is heard talking to a 911 operator as his girlfriend Holle pants in the background, with blood pouring from her leg.

He says that his landlord called him to say that a 'shady' man was trying to enter his building with a gun. Moments later, loud thuds can be heard as the suspect allegedly attempted to open the door. 

Holle is seen in the clip trying to stop the blood flow with a drenched white towel.  

Police officers can then be heard shouting 'show me your f**king 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 only a few hours ago, Holle's ex boyfriend Conrad showed up at my apartment building with a shotgun. 

'He shot through my building door, injuring Holle's leg in the process. I recorded the final moments in which we're hiding on the back porch. 

'You can hear him shoot at police before ultimately taking his own life...in my own f**king apartment hallway. Still trying to process this. 

'Holle and I are physically ok but mentally, this is gonna do some serious damage. 

'Holle has been amazing and she's been incredibly brave and strong throughout this ordeal.'

After the situation, Holle posted to her social media showing her leg wounds, and writing: 'I am in the hospital. Conrad showed up to Hunter's house with a shotgun and shot me in the leg, we are safe now, and Hunter is thankfully unharmed. 

'Conrad was shot dead. Really struggling 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 domestic abuse experiences in previous relationships. 

She said that she was with her ex-boyfriend Conrad for 11 years: 'I am starting to come out of shock. I feel so torn up inside. 

'I loved him for 11 years despite the abuse, and he couldn't love me enough to let me leave. I am sad, and angry, and sorry, and heartbroken... I am struggling rn. 

'It hurts. I can't believe he did that.' 

Text messages, sent during the ordeal before Conrad shot himself, showed that he was actually attempting to shoot at Avallone. The ex told Holle that he 'never meant' to shoot her.

He wrote: 'I should have killed the coward.' 

A GoFundMe, set up to help Holle with medical expenses, read: 'Holle got shot by her ex-fiance Conrad with a shotgun: He was trying to make his way inside of an apartment building, shot through the front glass door while Holle was behind it, injuring her leg in the process. 

'When police showed up to the scene, Conrad tried shooting at them before taking his own life.

'She's currently injured, heartbroken and in pain. We're all still trying to process all this. She's physically, emotionally and mentally hurt after all had taken place, shocked by everything that has happened. 

'The money will get used towards paying the hospital bills, and paying her own personal expenses from being unable to work, including the costs of therapy, travel, food, existing debt and everything she could need in the near future.

'Now that he passed, she's still gonna have to pay the accumulated debt that they both shared. This fund is an umbrella meant to cover as much as it can until she can get her life back on track again.'

The Martinsburg Police Department confirmed the incident.

They said in a statement: 'On Friday, December 8, an unidentified male arrived at the location armed with a shotgun. The individual discharged the firearm through the exterior door of the building, striking a female victim.

'Responding immediately to the scene, Martinsburg Police officers engaged with the armed suspect as he attempted to breach an interior apartment door while continuing to fire his weapon. 

'A brief exchange of gunfire ensued, resulting in the suspect taking his own life.' 

Martinsburg Police Chief Erin Gibbons said: 'Our officers responded swiftly and courageously to this dangerous situation. 

'Their decisive actions, I have no doubt, prevented further harm and potentially saved lives.

'I am profoundly proud of their bravery and commitment 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.'