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Christopher Pringle

Gender : Male

Age : 33

Race : White

Date : 06/20/2024

Location : Shopping mall (specific location not disclosed)

City : Post St. Lucie

County : St. Lucie

State : Florida

Agency : St. Lucie Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during missing person investigation

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

COn 06/20/2024, Christopher Pringle, 33, was reported missing while visiting Port St. Lucie, Florida, from Texas. St. Lucie Police located Pringle driving on a highway and deployed stop sticks to disable his vehicle. Pringle evaded the initial attempt to stop him, prompting an escalated response involving dozens of officers, a helicopter, and drones. Using cell phone tracking technology, police pinpointed his location at a shopping mall parking lot.
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A SWAT team was deployed to the scene, locking down the mall and surrounding Pringle’s van. Officers brought a Lenco BearCat armored vehicle and established a perimeter while attempting a surround-and-callout strategy. Police shattered the windows of Pringle’s van using breaching tools and threw flashbang grenades inside to disorient him. Chemical agents were also deployed into the vehicle, with witnesses reporting hearing Pringle coughing during the prolonged standoff.
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Despite the intense tactical response, Pringle was later found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the van. Police disclosed that Pringle possessed only a homemade .22 firearm and had not threatened or harmed anyone during the incident. St. Lucie Police confirmed that Pringle was not being sought in connection with any crime, emphasizing that the operation originated as a welfare check stemming from his missing person report.
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Pringle’s family described him as a positive individual who had been battling depression and questioned the need for the aggressive tactics employed by police. The St. Lucie Police Department has announced an internal investigation into the handling of the case, including the decisions to deploy SWAT, escalate the response, and use chemical agents and armored vehicles during a non-criminal investigation.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.tcpalm.com/news/st-lucie-police-missing-person-swat-christopher-pringle-2024/
https://www.wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/missing-texas-man-found-dead-in-st-lucie-mall-swat-standoff/
https://www.wfla.com/news/st-lucie-police-missing-person-case-escalates-to-fatal-standoff/