Warning: Distressing content

A popular YouTuber and his girlfriend have survived a terrifying attack by her ex-partner, capturing the aftermath on video and revealing the chilling final message their attacker sent before he died.

Hunter Avallone’s girlfriend Holle Peno was shot when her ex, named as Conrad, turned up at Avallone’s apartment in Martinsburg, West Virginia on December 9.

Peno has claimed that Conrad was abusive throughout their 11-year relationship and recently shared photos of Apple Air Tags she said he used to track her to the apartment.

Avallone and Peno shared details of the attack, revealing how Conrad had shot Peno through the door of the apartment.

Video shared by Avallone showed the couple sheltering on the balcony and attempting to stem the bleeding from a gunshot wound on Peno’s leg as her ex pounds on the front door.

Avallone is heard calling police for help, saying that Conrad had concealed a gun under his coat and urging them to hurry.

The video then records officers confronting their attacker, calling out: “Show me your f***ing hands!”.

Then six gunshots are heard and Peno sobs in anguish.

“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,” Avallone wrote on X.

“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***ing 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.”

Peno said she “took a bullet” for her new man.

”I keep thinking what I could have done differently.. But looking at the situation as if it were a friend and not myself... I took a bullet for someone I love, and I protected them with my life,” she wrote.

“I was so brave, I did all I could have, it’s not my fault.”

Martinsburg Police Chief Erin Gibbons said police “responded swiftly and courageously to this dangerous situation”, revealing that a “brief exchange in gunfire between officers and the man ensued before the man took his life”.

“Their decisive actions, I have no doubt, prevented further harm and potentially saved lives,” Gibbons said in a statement.

“I am profoundly proud of their bravery and commitment to protecting our community.”

Years of abuse

Peno, who is also a social media creator, had been sharing her journey with followers on Twitch. She previously revealed that she “hid a lot of abuse” during her relationship with Conrad, eventually leaving him last month when she wrote she felt “strong enough now to break free from that cycle”.

On the day of the shooting she shared a photo with Avallone, writing that she was “feeling cozy and safe”.

After Conrad’s violent attack, which left Peno recovering from a gunshot wound to her leg, she said she felt “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.”

Avallone shared screenshots of Conrad’s final text messages with Peno, which revealed that he was her ex’s target.

Peno begs her ex to surrender, saying she is losing a lot of blood.

“I never meant for that,” Conrad wrote.

“Leave him, please,” the message read.

“I should have killed the coward.”

A GoFundMe set up for Peno said she was “injured, heartbroken and in pain”.

“We’re all still trying to process all this,” it read. “She’s physically, emotionally and mentally hurt after all had taken place, shocked by everything that has happened.”

Peno, who has been vocal in the past about her mental health and surviving abusive relationships, wrote: “I have to keep reminding myself that I have to get through this, if not for me, for all of you. It’s hard.

“I am proud of how strong and resilient I am, and I am going to be able to use this experience to help so many people.”