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Mark D. Hackman, 53, of 6294 High Street in East Petersburg Borough, died by a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, and the manner was suicide, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Eric Bieber.
He "had been drinking, was armed with a firearm, and was threatening to burn the house down," when the Northern Lancaster County Regional police department were called to a "domestic-in-progress" at his home around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21, as stated in a release by the department.
Arriving officers found Hackman's wife, Deborah, "running from the home," after he set a fire inside of it, the police said.
Officers learned he "was reported to be intoxicated, armed, and emotionally unstable," as stated in the release.
After it was confirmed that Deborah, the other family members, and the family dog were safe — and no one else was in the home but Mark, police formed a perimeter and attempted to contact him.
From their vantage point, they could see the fire and Mark holding a firearm, according to the release.
While speaking with Mark on his cellphone "officers attempted to convince [him] to leave the home, surrender to police for assistance, and allow the fire department to address the growing fire," the police explained. But he refused multiple times.
The East Petersburg Fire Company, the Rohrerstown Fire Company, and other fire departments were already on the scene as was the Lancaster County SERT.
Soon, the authorities began to evacuate the surrounding homes.
Then Mark stopped all communications with police, and the fire rapidly began to grow, and it "quickly began to engulf the home," according to the NLCRPD. The fire company stepped into action "to avoid increasing dangers to neighboring homes and other members of the community."
After the fire was extinguished, Mark Hackman's body along with two firearms were found.
His exact cause of death was only released following his autopsy later in the week. His time of death was 10:58 p.m., according to the coroner's office.
The NLCRPD Crime Scene Unit, the State Fire Marshal, and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office were all called to the scene and "will be completing investigations associated with their respective responsibilities," as stated in the release.
East Hempfield Police Department, PP&L, and Wayne's Towing Service also assisted on the scene.
Anyone with information about this deadly incident is asked to call NLCRPD at (717)733-0965 or Lancaster County Crime Stoppers at (800) 322-1913.
This is one of three fatal fires in Central Pennsylvania that Daily Voice has reported on in less than 24 hours. Click here to read about the mobile home fire that killed a 74-year-old man in Lancaster County and click here to read about the three family members killed (including a 7-year-old girl) and three family members hospitalized in a fire at a home at the Dauphin/Lebanon County line.
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