Man, 19, Dead After Shooting Himself At Gun Range: Cops

PINELLAS PARK, FL — The Pinellas Park Police Department has announced the death of a 19-year-old man who suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Shoot Straight shooting range on Ulmerton Road Wednesday night.

According to the agency, Luke Prendergast went to the 4594 Ulmerton Road shooting range around 8 p.m. May 17 with another man. Police say Prendergast, who was homeless, met the man at the beach in Treasure Island and spent part of the day target shooting at a St. Petersburg gun range.

The two men, an email from the police department said, went to Shoot Straight to target practice some more. Police say surveillance video shows Prendergast firing rounds at targets and then turning the gun on himself while his friend was downrange firing at targets.

“Information was obtained from Mr. Prendergast’s family that he had made some suicidal statements the previous day over his current living conditions,” the police department’s email said.

Prendergast was taken to a local hospital after the Wednesday night shooting. Police announced his death Thursday afternoon.

No further information is being released at this time.

With an estimated 42,000 deaths attributed to suicide annually, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists this as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources available to help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433). Its website offers services including a live chat.

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