Newly released bodycam video shows the grim moment “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum Lydia McLaughlin’s brother was fatally shot during a traffic stop in California after he allegedly snatched the cop’s taser.
Geoffrey Shyam Stirling, 45, had been pulled over for running a red light on his motorcycle in Newport Beach on April 17 when he started to become “uncooperative,” police allege.
Bodycam and dashcam footage released late Wednesday captured Stirling — who cops said was on parole and had a lengthy rap sheet — getting into a heated exchange and scuffle with the officer just moments before the gunfire rang out.
“You okay?” the officer could be heard asking as Stirling hopped off his bike at the beginning of the video.
“I haven’t been drinking, officer,” Stirling responded. “I’m fully sober, I’m just trying to stay safe. People have almost been hitting me all day.”
After being told to sit on the curb, Stirling shot back: “I don’t care what you’re telling me to do.”
At one point, the motorcycle rider said “don’t shoot me” as the officer radioed in that he was refusing to comply with demands, the footage shows.
“I’m not going to shoot you,” the cop responded in the clip.
Just moments later, a struggle broke out between the pair after Stirling appeared to take a few sudden steps towards the cop — prompting him to retaliate.
Dashcam footage from the police cruiser captured the pair appearing to trade blows before Stirling allegedly grabbed the cop’s taser.
“Drop it!,” the officer could be heard shouting before firing off at least six rounds.
Police had earlier alleged that Stirling grabbed the officer’s taser from his holster during the altercation and then repeatedly tried to deploy it — including aiming it once at his head.
Stirling was rushed to a nearby hospital in the aftermath, where he was pronounced dead.
His family, meanwhile, said they have “serious concerns” about the officer’s actions after reviewing the clips — claiming he was suffering a mental health episode but posed no threat.
“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 statement, obtained by ABC7, noted.
“Geoff was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was stopped for a traffic infraction. Geoff was unarmed and posed no deadly threat to the officer.
“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,” the statement added.
Stirling’s sister, who appeared in both season 8 and season 12 of the hit Bravo series, posted an emotional tribute on social media last week, saying her “heart is broken.”
“The shock still hasn’t settled. But even in the sorrow, I cling to what I know is true: God is good. He is in control. I am not,” McLaughlin penned in the Instagram post.
“My brother is now with my mom, and I hold onto the promise that one day, we’ll all be reunited. Until then, I will miss them every single day.”
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