Shocking police bodycam footage captured the moment when a former Real Housewives of Orange County star’s brother was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop.
Geoffrey Stirling, 45, brother to reality star Lydia McLoughlin, was filmed during his last moments as an officer pulled him over for running a red light on his motorbike along the Pacific Coast Highway on April 17.
He quickly criticized the officer when instructed to get off his vehicle, explaining that he ran the red light because other drivers were ‘almost hitting’ him.
Stirling became uncooperative with the officer almost immediately, and when he was told to take a seat by the side of the road, he responded: ‘I don’t care what you’re telling me to do.’
After around a minute of back-and-forth, the traffic stop escalated as Stirling hit the cop when he turned his back, in what authorities say was an attempt to grab his taser.
The two men grappled in the road as the cop tried to place Stirling under arrest, and the bodycam appears to show Stirling unholster the stun gun during their struggle.
Stirling’s family claim he was ‘unarmed’ during the exchange, however the Newport Beach Police Department say Stirling took the taser and pointed it against the back of the cop’s head, attempting to fire it.
The grim bodycam footage ends with the officer breaking free from Stirling, and when the 45-year-old lifted the taser again, the officer fired six shots and killed him.
The footage was released by the Newport Police to its YouTube channel amid debate over whether the officer-involved shooting was justified.
Newport Beach PD Sgt. Steve Oberon said the shooting came only after Stirling was ‘issued multiple commands’ to sit down and speak calmly with the officer, ‘but he failed to comply.’
Oberon said Stirling struck the officer several times in the head when he turned his back, however the bodycam fell off during their struggle and missed the end of the shooting.
The footage showing the moment Stirling was shot came from the dashcam of the officer’s vehicle, and because it was taken from some distance, Stirling’s family dispute whether he was ‘armed’ when he was shot.
In a statement, the Newport Police Department said it was releasing the video as ‘part of our ongoing efforts to keep the community informed and engaged.’
‘The Newport Beach Police Department remains committed to transparency and accountability in all of its operations,’ the statement said.
The Stirling family said in a response to the release of the footage that Stirling was suffering a ‘mental health crisis’ when he was pulled over by the cop, and the bodycam has raised ‘serious concerns’ over whether the shooting was justified.
‘Of grave and specific concern is that the videos appear to show (Stirling) moving away from the officer at the time he was shot six times,’ the family said.
Stirling’s family said they are planning to launch a lawsuit over the shooting, to ‘obtain full answers and seek accountability.’
‘Geoff was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was stopped for a traffic infraction,’ the family continued in their statement.
They were also seen in footage shared to social media releasing doves into the air at Geoffrey’s funeral, which was held over the weekend.
‘Geoff was unarmed and posed no deadly threat to the officer. The Stirling family expects that all video and audio footage along with every report and shred of evidence related to this deeply disturbing shooting be preserved for presentation in due course as part of the lawsuit the family will be pursuing.
‘The cause of death was blood loss. Despite the presence of multiple officers reporting to the scene, no aid was initially offered.
‘The family remains heartbroken and devastated that Geoff was taken from them in what appears to be an unjustified use of lethal force. Equally tragic is that there may have been other options and tactics available to the officer that he failed to utilize based on his training.’
