By Eric Licas
Daily Pilot, Costa Mesa, Calif.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — The Newport Beach Police Department on Wednesday released footage of the fatal shooting of an unarmed motorcyclist seen running a red light on Pacific Coast Highway, then assaulting an officer last month.
The events leading up to the death of Geoffrey Shyam Stirling unfolded Thursday, April 17 beginning at 9 :14 p.m., when he can be seen in police dashcam recordings briefly stopping at Superior Avenue before crossing the intersection against a red light. The officer who pulls him over asks if he is OK; the motorcyclist tells him he has not been drinking and had nearly been struck by other drivers earlier that day.
When the officer tells Stirling to sit down on the curb, he refuses.
“Here, I ‘ll show you my ID, here, " Stirling said while standing in front of the officer and placing a hand into the breast pocket of his jacket. “Don ‘t shoot me.”
“I ‘m not going to shoot you, " the officer replied. “Don ‘t reach for [expletive ] [expletive ] how about that ? Sit down. We ‘ll figure it out.”
Stirling remains standing in front of the officer. When the latter turns away to radio for backup, the motorcyclist advances one or two steps toward him, then appears to freeze for a moment when he turns back around.
At that point the officer attempts to restrain Stirling. He resists and they grapple each other, mostly remaining on their feet, for about 35 seconds. The officer ‘s body worn camera falls to the ground early in the confrontation, but a camera mounted in the patrol vehicle captures the exchange from a short distance away.
Police said Stirling managed to grab the officer ‘s TASER, and attempted to use the less- lethal weapon against the back of the officer ‘s neck. A loud buzzing noise can be heard during the fight in the video shared with the public.
A few moments later, the two stop grappling and wind up standing and facing each other a a few feet apart. Stirling appears to point the Taser at the officer, who shouts, “Drop it!” before firing five rounds.
Stirling was taken to nearby Hoag Hospital, where he later died. He was an actor and model. His father, Scott Stirling, is the president of Newfoundland Broadcasting Company Ltd. and his sister was a former cast member on the reality TV series " Real Housewives of Orange County.”
“My family has experienced an unimaginable loss, " Stirling ‘s sister, Lydia McLaughlin, wrote in an Instagram post. “My brother, Geoff, was tragically taken and our hearts are shattered.”
Online court records show Stirling had been charged with a felony arson that allegedly happened on March 21. He was due to appear for an arraignment hearing scheduled four days after he was killed.
Newport Beach Police Chief Dave Miner said the investigation into the shooting is still in its early stages, and could take up to a year to complete. His department, as well as the Orange County district attorney ‘s office are looking into the matter. The office of California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta is also investigating, per the terms of a law giving state officials oversight on cases involving the killing of an unarmed person by police.
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