Suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot wound during encounter with Chandler police in Tempe

The man who died during an encounter with Chandler police in Tempe last week took his own life, authorities announced Monday.

Officers shot at 40-year-old Christoffer Vink after seeing him pull out a gun on Friday night, but the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that his death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the Mesa Police Department.

Mesa PD is handling the investigation as part of the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team protocol.

Chandler detectives linked Vink to an aggravated assault that happened two weeks before the fatal encounter. Officers were attempting to arrest him just before 8 p.m. Friday when he ran into an apartment complex near Scottsdale and McKellips roads.

He pulled out a gun during the pursuit, which prompted officers to shoot at him. It’s not clear how many officers fired their weapons or if they struck him at all, but the medical examiner determined that the fatal bullet came from Vink’s own gun.

A gun was recovered at the scene after the shooting, police said.

CORRECTION: Earlier versions of the story incorrectly indicated that police fatally shot Christoffer Vink.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on July 17, 2026.

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