Lydia McLaughlin Stirling, an alum of “Real Housewives of Orange County,” shared the news that it was one of her brothers who was shot and killed by police in Newport Beach last week.
A resident of Laguna Niguel, 45-year-old Geoffrey Shyam Stirling, was pulled over by officers with the Newport Beach Police Department on April 17 at 9:15 p.m. for an undisclosed traffic violation on Pacific Coast Highway, west of Superior Avenue.
Police officials stated Stirling quickly became “uncooperative” and “assaulted the officer.”
“During the ensuring violent altercation, Stirling managed to remove the department-issued taser from the officer’s duty belt and attempted to deploy it multiple times against the officer,” NBPD said in a news release. “At that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
The 45-year-old was taken to nearby Hoag Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
McLaughlin told People magazine that she and her family have been devastated by the loss of her brother.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and the community,” she continued. “We kindly ask for privacy as we mourn.”
Their father, Scott Stirling, told the outlet that the 45-year-old was a loving son, brother and uncle and friend, and that he’d worked as a television producer, scriptwriter, actor and model.
“He attended church every Sunday and supported multiple charities. We miss him already,” he added.
A day after the deadly shooting, State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice would be conducting an independent investigation into the incident.
The Newport Beach Police Department is also conducting its own investigation into the shooting and, per state law, has 45 days from the date of the incident to release officer-worn body camera footage of the incident.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 45-year-old was facing a felony arson charge in connection with a March 21 fire and was due to appear in court this week.
