Mark Chambers died from multiple gunshot wounds, Coroner Meredith Buck said in a release on Nov. 6. His death was ruled a homicide.
“It is important to note that homicide as a manner of death refers to death at the hands of another," Buck wrote. “This matter remains under investigation by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.”
Authorities have claimed Chambers was brandishing a knife when they shot him on the 500 block of Elm Avenue in Churchville around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.
He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 8 p.m., according to Buck's office.
First responders were initially called to the scene because Chambers was "attempting to take his own life with said knife," she added.
His friends have echoed this on social media claiming that he was suicidal and his mother called the authorities for help after he picked up the knife.
A Northampton Township police officer was also treated for injuries as a result of the incident, the DA's Office has said.
Mark was a class of 2001 graduate of Council Rock High School, according to a post in the alumni group on Facebook.
His friend of twenty years, Michael Allan wrote the following in the post:
"There are unfortunately a lot of what I call fake people out there and Mark Chambers was not one of them [...] he has always showed up for me when I needed him. Never being too busy to take a phone call, helping me put IKEA items together, hell even being daring and helping me retrieve some of my personal items from a crazy ex back in 2020 putting them in a U-Haul and bringing them back to me. This is a true friend."
Allen said that he wants "help in establishing better reform from our police when dealing with people with mental illnesses and people in crisis." He went on to ask the community for advice on how to achieve "an ultimate dream scenario where we send trained professionals that can handle situations like this in a peaceful manner."
He noted that "Mark has never been violent to anyway in all the time I knew him besides a small fight in junior high. This does not warrant 16 bullets when trying to de-escalate a self-harming situation."
"Please take a minute tonight to think of Mark. His life was not smooth sailing but he remained a good person without an ounce of phoniness. Thanks for reading," Allen concluded.
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