8-year sentence after guilty plea in 2022 Surrey shooting case

Two people were taken into custody after a shooting that sent a 48-year-old man to hospital with life-threatening injuries in Surrey on April 1, 2022. (CTV)

A drug dealer who shot his customer in the chest over an unpaid debt in 2022 has been sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter.

Darren Ellis Scott was charged with second-degree murder after killing Christopher Hartl in Hartl's Surrey home on April 1, 2022, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm earlier this year.

In a sentencing decision issued last week, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Norell accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels recommending a sentence of eight years in prison, minus credit for time served. 

After spending 747 days in custody before sentencing, which is credited at 1.5 days per day, Scott has four years and 340 days left to serve from the date he was sentenced.

Drug debt led to shooting

Police were called to Hartl's home on 97 Avenue near 126 Street around 2:30 p.m. on the date of the shooting. When they arrived, they found the 48-year-old victim suffering from a gunshot wound. He died in hospital later that day. 

At the time, police said two suspects fled the scene on bicycles and were arrested. Scott was charged with second-degree murder the following day. 

The sentencing decision provides more details on what transpired before and after the shooting.

According to the decision, Hartl lived in the building's ground-floor suite with his girlfriend. Both of them were "dependent on narcotics," and "it was common for people to come to their home and use drugs and sleep in their living room."

"Mr. Hartl and Mr. Scott knew each other because Mr. Scott sold drugs to Mr. Hartl," the decision reads. "In late March 2022, Mr. Scott and his brother made several visits to Mr. Hartl's home and communicated electronically with him to collect or demand repaid payment of debt."

The decision describes Hartl as "a slight man" with a physical disability, who required mobility aids to walk any significant distance.

On the day of the shooting, Scott arrived at Hartl's home just after midnight. He brought with him "a black bag containing guns," according to the decision.

Several people, including Scott, used drugs in the living room, the decision reads, adding that Scott woke up later in the morning "in a bad mood" and "still somewhat under the influence" of the drugs. The decision does not specify what substances he consumed, but does make a point of noting that "he was aware of his surroundings, and understood right from wrong."

"In the early afternoon, as Mr. Hartl was seated in the living room on the couch without any weapons, Mr. Scott said he was going to shoot Mr. Hartl in the leg to teach him a lesson," the decision reads.

After retrieving a gun from his bag, Scott returned to the living room.

"Mr. Hartl moved into the fetal position on the couch when he saw Mr. Scott with a gun," the decision reads. "Mr. Scott shot Mr. Hartl once in the chest as Mr. Hartl sat defenceless on the couch. This took place in front of several other people who were present in the living room."

Scott fled the scene on his bicycle, taking his bag of guns with him. He travelled to "another residence," where he changed his clothes and disposed of his guns, which have never been recovered by police, according to the decision.

"The Crown agreed for the purpose of resolution of this matter by way of a guilty plea to manslaughter with a firearm that it has not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Scott had the requisite intent for murder," the decision reads.

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Killer's 'life fell apart' after relapse

The court heard from Hartl's mother and sister during the sentencing hearing. In victim impact statements, they described the deceased as "a devoted son, brother, father and grandfather" and "the cornerstone of their family."

"They described Mr. Hartl's love for his family and friends, his kindness, generosity and compassion to others in the community," the decision reads.

"He was a talented man with varied interests and skills including reaching the Canadian Nationals in gymnastics, and attaining a black belt in Taekwondo. It is clear Mr. Hartl was loved by his family and friends and they miss him terribly."

In his own statements to the court, Scott expressed remorse for his actions.

His criminal record includes prior convictions for assault with a weapon and firearms possession, but his most recent offences before the murder charge were from 2006.

The sentencing decision notes that this 16-year gap in Scott's record correlates with a prolonged period of sobriety, as well as six years of stable employment from 2014 to 2020, when he was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Mr. Scott reported that when his employment insurance ran out during the COVID pandemic, he began misusing and selling illicit substances to support himself," the decision reads. "He was using fentanyl and methamphetamines daily. Once he relapsed, his life fell apart."

The decision also indicates that Scott "attempted an intentional overdose" while in custody awaiting trial for Hartl's murder. The overdose attempt led to him spending weeks hospitalized in an induced coma.

"In his statement to the family of Mr. Hartl and the court, he described his shame and guilt over the offence which contributed to his intentional overdose, and inability to live with himself over what he had done," the decision reads, with Norell later noting that she accepted his expression of remorse as "genuine."

8 years an appropriate sentence: judge

The judge noted that Scott's "moral culpability" for the offence is "high," citing a long list of aggravating factors in the case.

Among those were Scott's decision to bring a bag of guns, which Norell found "indicates some degree of deliberation," as well as his drug use, the lack of provocation for the shooting, and the other people present in the room when the shooting occurred.

The judge also found Scott's criminal record aggravating, though she noted the 16-year gap between offences.

Scott's guilty plea was a significant mitigating factor, according to the decision, because it spared Hartl's family "the stress, grief and anxiety of a lengthy trial," as well as saving limited court resources.

"I am satisfied that the joint submission is within the range articulated by the case law for this offence with similar circumstances," the decision reads. "The proposed sentence properly reflects the paramount principle of deterrence and denunciation which is required as a result of the gravity and high moral culpability of this offence, the impact of the offence, and both the aggravating and mitigating factors present in this case."