Purcellville man arrested for discharging firearm on Frederick County traffic stop

A Purcellville man was arrested today after the firearm he was handling, during a traffic stop, was fired while a Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputy was approaching his driver’s window.

At 10:05 am, Deputy A. Cilento observed a grey VW passenger car, with no registration displayed, in the 600 block of Front Royal Pike. Deputy Cilento initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle pulled off Rt 522 and onto Front Drive. As Cilento exited his cruiser, and approached the suspect vehicle, he observed three small children in the backseat before hearing the distinct sound of a weapon being fired. Deputy Cilento immediately notified dispatchers that the subject had just “discharged a firearm” and requested additional units.

Deputy Cilento drew his service weapon and gave the driver verbal commands as the suspect dropped the gun onto the floorboard. With additional units arriving on scene, the suspect was removed from the vehicle and detained. Units began checking the wellbeing of the three children and one adult passenger. Luckily, no one was struck by the round which exited out the bottom of the suspect’s vehicle, past Deputy Cilento, and coming to rest beside the left front tire of his sheriff’s office cruiser.

The suspect was identified as Daniel Zachary Cook of Purcellville. Cook made statements to investigating deputies indicating that he removed the weapon from his center console because he “seen what cops do to white and black people with guns”. As far as firing the weapon, Cook stated he was attempting to hide it when it went off. Cook’s passenger, Douglas Burke of Winchester, is the father to the three children present who range from ages 2 – 7. Burke stated he asked Cook what he was doing when he removed the gun from the console and, when Cook made the statement about what cops do, Burke demanded that Cook put the gun away.

It remains unclear why Cook would remove the weapon from the locked console in the first place if his intent were to simply hide it. Sheriff Lenny Millholland is both thankful and extremely concerned with today’s event. “Can you imagine if one of those small children would’ve been hit by this stray bullet on its way out of that vehicle?” Sheriff Millholland said before adding, “I truly believe this individual had it in his mind to harm my deputy when he pulled that gun out of that console after being pulled over. It is sad how the men and women of law enforcement are being perceived and treated these days.”

Cook was taken to the regional adult detention facility where numerous warrants, to include reckless discharge of a firearm, brandishing and carrying a concealed weapon, were obtained and served. Charges for the reckless endangerment of the three children were sought but denied by the Magistrate on duty who held Cook without bail.