A man accused of shooting at Chilliwack RCMP during a standoff in May is finally cooperating with the court system. Daniel Hackl made a brief appearance at the Chilliwack Law Courts Tuesday (Aug. 1) for a judicial interim review. He appeared by video from Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, where he’s been for 70 days since his arrest.
Previous court appearances have been an adventure. In his first one the 29-year-old from Chilliwack told B.C. Provincial Judge Kristen Mundstock he had no name and otherwise wouldn’t say a word. Hackl wouldn’t even come out of his cell for subsequent appearances, and the court ordered a psychological assessment of Hackl July 11.
When Mundstock asked Hackl to identify himself Tuesday, he responded by saying, “They call me Daniel.” Mundstock had to ask for his surname, which he gave. So, progress on that front. But otherwise, it was another unproductive showing for the accused, whose lawyer asked for a one-week adjournment to work on a release plan. Hackl faces one charge of discharging a firearm with intent to wound/disfigure.
The incident happened May 22 when he allegedly fired shots at police during a standoff at a home on the corner of Queen Street and Knight Road. At 2:15 p.m. that day, RCMP responded to a report of a distraught man with access to several firearms. The standoff was more than five hours old when it took a turn for the worse. Neighbours reported hearing gunshots, and police say shots were fired at them.
The standoff eventually ended with Hackl’s arrest. The house he was in went up in flames around midnight with no explanation why. Firefighters were back on the scene before 9 a.m. the next day dousing hot spots, and reportedly found shell casings.
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