Ryan Pringle pulled crossbow on police before being fatally shot A MAN threatened a group of spiritual campers with a knife and pulled a crossbow on police before he was fatally shot in the back, an inquest has heard. Ryan Pringle, 33, made death threats and terrorised members of the Rainbow Family spiritual gathering near Tenterfield in far north NSW before he was shot dead by police last year, the Coroners Court at Parramatta was told on Monday. Pringle, the son of former rugby league player Neil Pringle, had a history of mental illness and had taken illegal drugs when he became "very erratic and unpredictable" on April 15, 2012. He hit a female camper before arming himself with a knife and threatening a number of campers, including his fiancee, at the School of Happiness campsite, counsel assisting the coroner, Ian McLachlan said. One camper, Nicole Delaine wept in the stand as she described how she desperately crossed a river in the dark to get away from Pringle and find help. "I remember being very scared," she said. She and some other campers drove 27km to Tenterfield to alert police. As a result, Senior Constable Karen Peasley and Sergeant Carter Knyvett, a de facto couple, arrived at the scene. The officers confronted Pringle, who was still armed with a knife, at the campsite building before he ran into the bush. "The police officers decided to evacuate the property rather than pursue Mr Pringle," Mr McLachlan said. However, while the officers were helping the campers evacuate, Pringle re-emerged from the bush armed with a crossbow. He walked towards the officers, pointing the crossbow at them saying "I'm going to kill you," the court heard. Sen Const Peasley fired her Taser, before Sgt Knyvett discharged his firearm a number of times, hitting Pringle in the lower back. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene. The inquest will examine a number of issues, including whether the officers were justified in their actions. It will also examine regional police staffing issues that led to two officers in a relationship attending the scene together. Several of Pringle's relatives, including Neil Pringle, are at the inquest, which continues before Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon.