The Sanford man who took his life Thursday in downtown Sanford after a stand-off with police was a fixture at Southern Lee High School athletic events and even donned the McGruff the Crime Dog costume for various law enforcement events in the area.

Chris Feaster was 28.

chrisfeasterAccording to Sanford Police, Feaster (though not named in the official report) was discovered by officers sitting in front of a building on Charlotte Avenue, near La Dolce Vita pizzeria, armed with a gun and threatening to harm himself. Feaster shot himself after a 90-minute stand-off with police that included street closures and lockdowns of nearby businesses and offices.

News of his death spread quickly on social media, with friends and family posting several tributes and statements of disbelief Thursday.

“If [you] ever went to Southern Lee or worked at Southern Lee, you had some type of encounter with Chris Feaster,” his friend Lamont Piggie wrote on Facebook. “Chris was always helping out at the school, especially helping with football and basketball games. He always had a smile on his face. Never met a stranger and was a pretty good drummer. I remember several times when we would break out in to a good ole gospel song or he would give you the ‘word of the day.'”

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Below are a few of the tributes to Feaster posted to his public Facebook page Thursday.

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