PALM BEACH, Fla. - Just after dawn on Feb. 13, Alexander Bradley was driven to an industrial park outside Riviera Beach, Fla., shot once in the head and left to die.

A man, who had just arrived at work, heard a gunshot and spotted an SUV driving away. Minutes later, he found Bradley curled up in a fetal position, who told him to call 911.

"Tell them to hurry," Bradley said. "I'm gonna bleed out."

Four months later, in a suburb of Boston, Odin Lloyd was driven to an industrial park, shot several times and left to die.

Bradley lost his right eye but lived. Lloyd died.

Now, court documents accuse the same man in both shootings: NFL star and former Florida Gators great Aaron Hernandez, who was arrested on murder charges last week in Lloyd's killing.

And, The Palm Beach Post has learned that authorities investigating Lloyd's slaying visited a hardware store in Belle Glade, Fla., on Wednesday asking about the purchases of two guns linked to Hernandez.

Hernandez, 23, who last summer signed a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots that delivered a $12.5 million bonus, has NFL friends who grew up in the Glades. Several Glades area residents told The Post that Hernandez visits there occasionally.

'A LITTLE VACATION'

In February, Bradley flew into Palm Beach International Airport from Connecticut with Hernandez and two other men, whom he didn't know, David Jaroslawicz, one of Bradley's lawyers, said last week. He said Bradley and Hernandez were friends.

"They went for a little vacation," he said. "They like Worth Avenue."

They drove to Tootsie's Cabaret, a strip club in Miami Gardens, where Hernandez and Bradley got into an argument. The dispute continued as they left the club and drove north toward Palm Beach. Jaroslawicz said he didn't know what the argument was about. He said they were staying in Palm Beach County but didn't know where.

Elizabeth Eilender, Bradley's other lawyer, said she didn't know why the vehicle stopped outside Riviera Beach, in the industrial area near Interstate 95 and Blue Heron Boulevard.

SWIFT RELEASE FROM TEAM

Hernandez, in the past week, has fallen far from the heights of the NFL, where he was considered one of its top tight ends. His signing bonus was the highest at his position, according to the Boston Globe.

His arrest was a deal-breaker. The Patriots cut him right after his arrest. He now faces life in prison if convicted of orchestrating Lloyd's execution-style killing at the park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Mass. He has pleaded not guilty.

Two other men were arrested last week in connection with Lloyd's slaying, including Ernest Wallace, who turned himself in to police in Miramar on Friday.

Reports say Hernandez is being investigated in two other killings during a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston.

TROUBLE IN GAINESVILLE

Back in Florida, amid his glory days with the Gators, Hernandez saw trouble nearly from the moment he set foot on the University of Florida campus in 2007.

After the Gators lost to Auburn in 2007, he and three other players were questioned in the drive-by shooting of two men in Gainesville, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Gainesville police did not return calls seeking comment for this story. The Post reached the family of Corey Smith, who was 28 when he was shot in the head. Smith's aunt declined comment on behalf of the family, on their lawyer's recommendation.