The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lydia McLaughlin is mourning the death of her brother Geoffrey “Geoff” Stirling Jr., who was shot dead by police during a confrontation on the side of a road.
The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lydia McLaughlin and her family are mourning a tragic loss.
The former Bravo star’s brother Geoffrey “Geoff” Shyam Stirling Jr. was shot and killed during a confrontation with police in Southern California April 17. He was 45.
”My family and I are devastated by the loss of my brother,” McLaughlin, 44, said in a statement to TMZ April 18. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and the community. We kindly ask for privacy as we mourn.”
In a statement released the same day, the Newport Beach Police Department said one of its officers had stopped Geoff, a resident of Laguna Niguel, Calif., for an alleged traffic violation while he was driving his motorcycle on a highway .
“Shortly after being stopped, Stirling became uncooperative and assaulted the officer,” the statement said. “During the ensuing 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. At that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
The statement continued. “Additional officers responded to the scene and rendered medical aid to Stirling until personnel from the Newport Beach Fire Department arrived. Stirling was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.”
The police department said that in accordance with California law, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) was notified and responded to the scene to conduct an independent investigation.
“Once their investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section for independent review,” the statement continued, “This remains an active investigation.”
In addition to Lydia, 44, Geoff—who worked for years as a model and actor and headed his own production company—is also survived by their brother Jesse Stirling, 53, and father Scott Stirling, 73, President and CEO of Canadian’s Newfoundland Broadcasting Company Ltd., which was cofounded by his late father, Geoffrey Stirling, who died in 2013.
Geoff is preceded in death by mother Judy Stirling, who died in October after battling breast cancer for years and had appeared a few times on RHOC.
Fellow show alum Vicki Gunvalson reached out to Lydia following news of Geoff’s passing. “Lydia – I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your brother!” her former costar wrote on her Instagram. “My heart hurts for you and your family. Peace be with you.”
Source: www.eonline.com