A man identified as 33-year-old Christopher Pringle from Atascosa, Texas, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) on Tuesday outside the Landings in Tradition shopping plaza. According to CBS12, police found Pringle, who was reported missing, inside a moving van; PSLPD officers, a helicopter, and a drone arrived as they attempted to negotiate with him, while people inside the mall were told to shelter-in-place.

Matt Papaycik reporting for WPTV noted that the standoff began after Pringle headed north to St. Lucie County from Boca Raton, his last confirmed location, the police deployed stop sticks to prevent the van from leaving the Landings at Tradition's vicinity, following this, the police tried to resolve the situation that unfolded with dozens of officers responding and a helicopter and a drone were present for support.

In a statement obtained by CBS12, PSLPD spokesperson Dominick Mesiti confirmed that Pringle was from Texas and visiting Florida when the incident took place. Pringle was not pursued in connection with any criminal investigation but was rather sought because he had been reported missing, as Deputy Chief Marc Dimeo of PSLPD explained.

Chemical agents and flashbangs were deployed during the standoff, and after officers broke a van window to gain a better view inside, Pringle was found unresponsive, according to CBS12; this phase of the operation was reached around 3 p.m. when Pringle could be heard coughing inside the vehicle, indicating the effect of the chemical agents before the fatal conclusion was discovered.

The PSLPD urged the public to avoid the area during the incident through social media, as reported by their X account, stating a heavy police presence at the parking lot of the Landings at Tradition; crisis negotiators were reportedly at the scene attempting to bring the standoff to a peaceful resolution.

 

PSLPD is in the parking lot of the Landings at Tradition for an armed barricaded subject in a motor vehicle.

Please avoid the area as there is a heavy police presence.

Media staging area is the northwest corner of the Chicken Place. pic.twitter.com/03svR16Ar8

— Port St. Lucie PD (@PSLPolice) June 19, 2024