Daniel Heaney: Melbourne grandfather shot after threatening police with court

A Melbourne grandfather who was shot twice by police faced court needing help with a walking frame.

Daniel Heaney, 65, was shot dead by detectives in north Melbourne on 27 June 2022 after brandishing a ‘shiv’ to police after a short chase.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Police were looking for a Broadmeadows man as part of an investigation into the June 25 death of a 56-year-old man in Albanvale.

At the time, Deputy Commander of the Northwest Metropolitan Area Rick Patterson said Mr Heaney led police in a brief car chase before dumping the car near Edgars Creek Parkland.

As one of the last people to see the Albarnvale man, he said his grandfather was a “person of interest”.

Mr. Heaney has not been charged with this death.

He instead faces nine charges, including disobeying police instructions, unlawful assault with a weapon, assaulting paramedics, and recklessly resisting paramedics.

At the Magistrate’s Court in Melbourne on Friday, Mr Heaney’s lawyer, Sarah Condon, said Mr Heaney had recently signed a contract to represent him after he fired his previous lawyer in December.

She said it was “expected” that Mr Heaney would challenge the charges and expressed that she would try to investigate the circumstances of his arrest.

“The cause of the arrest requires me to issue a subpoena to the Chief Commissioner (of Victoria Police) for a proper analysis,” she said.

Mr. Harney appeared to have difficulty walking and was using a walking frame.

He made sure he understood what was going on and spoke only to complain that his name “shouldn’t be on the news”.

Heaney was taken into custody by Justice of the Peace Olivia Trubble before her next court appearance on February 13.