Florida HOA President Dead, Neighbor Arrested

An HOA president dead in a Florida community has led to the arrest of her neighbors in Stuart, Florida.

Cedar Pointe Condominiums is arguably a peaceful neighborhood. But, in early December, a disgruntled neighbor took up arms and decided to settle matters on his town terms.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that two people had been shot dead in the afternoon of December 3rd. The victims were Ginger and Harry Wallace, both aged 81. Ginger was the president of the condo association.

HOA President Dead Over Ongoing Dispute

According to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, the suspect, Hugh Hootman, had been having HOA issues with the elderly couple. Hootman, aged 75, lived in the unit above the Wallaces.

Days before the incident, the Wallaces had apparently yelled at Hootman’s wife about leaving the community laundry door open. Hootman then confronted Henry Wallace and asked him to apologize. Henry Wallace simply ignored Hootman, who then pulled out his gun and fired a shot into Wallace’s chest.

Ginger Wallace heard the gunshot and ran screaming outside. Hootman shot her in the chest area as well.

Hootman’s wife called 911 to report the shooting. “My husband just shot two people and I believe he killed them,” she told operators.

Deputies responded to calls about a shooting at around 3 p.m. of that day. They had arrived at the scene to discover the bodies of the couple just feet away from the front door. Henry Wallace had his keys clutched in his hand.

At the time, Hootman was in his unit. Within 20 minutes, he surrendered to the SWAT team. Authorities believe that Ginger Wallace’s role as the president of the HOA was likely relevant to the case.

While being interviewed by detectives, Hootman wrote an apology which may serve as a confession. He faces two counts of first-degree murder.