Father of woman killed in New Hanover County heartbroken over loss

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) –  A phone call changed everything for Raymond Fullwood.

“A part of my heart is gone, I’m gonna miss her for the rest of her life.”

He says he found out last night his daughter Brittany Fullwood, 34, had been gun downed in the home she shared with her mother on Woods Edge Drive in New Hanover County.

Raymond Fullwood lives in Delaware. His daughter’s boyfriend told him over the phone what happened.

“I couldn’t believe it you know, Charlie says, ‘Mr. Fullwood, I hate to be the one to tell you this but Brittany’s dead.’ I’m like what? I almost passed out. I said what do you mean she’s dead?”

Fullwood says he had just spoken with his daughter that morning to wish his grandson a happy birthday. The day Brittany was killed, her son turned 3 years old.

“I said call me back around dinner time, I’ll be free to talk and she goes ‘okay, I’ll give you a call later.’ She says ‘love you dad,’ I said love you too and naturally I didn’t get a phone call,” Fillwood said.

Fullwood is still in shock and wants people to know his daughter had a heart of gold, loved her son to death, and was an excellent mother. She also loved horses.

“You hear this all the time and you feel for the people it happened to and never think it will happen to you,” Fullwood said as he fought back tears.

Fullwood says the man accused of shooting Brittany, William Bernicki, was obsessed with her, which is why she changed her phone number recently.

Investigators say Bernicki shot himself in the face after killing Brittany. Bernicki survived and is currently at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

“Don’t want him to die, want him to live and rot in prison for the rest of his life,” Fullwood said.

Friends are shocked and distraught.

“Brittany was definitely full of life and she had crazy stories and things that would happen and you just want to believe that, that’s one of those things and just call you and be like ‘oh just kidding, that never happened’ and that’s not the case,” Haley Moseley, a Brittany’s friend, said.

Now family and friends are left with her memory.

“I would tell her I love her very much and I miss her very much and if I could do something else with her: the other night, we rode, it was like 7:30. I was teaching her. I was riding another horse, it would be to relive that, that moment with her,” Moseley said.

“She had a heart of gold, loved her son to death, she was an excellent mother. She was a loving sweet caring person, kind of daughter everyone would want to have,” Fillwood said.

The accused shooter is in New Hanover Regional Medical Center. No word on his condition.

Friends have set up a fund for Fullwood’s 3-year-old son.

To donate, click here.