Some fans of the Real Housewives of Orange County remember Lydia McLaughlin as the bright light of the franchise.
Her mother, Judy Stirling, would toss fairy dust around and try to bring a bit of peace to the world. Sadly, Lydia isn’t finding much peace these days, as she recently lost her mother. Now the RHOC alum is dealing with another death in the family – her brother, Geoffrey Shyam Stirling. He was recently involved in a violent incident with police, and here are the details we have so far.
Geoffrey Shyam Stirling was shot by police
On Thursday, Geoffrey Shyam Stirling was shot fatally by Newport Beach police. He was the son of Canadian NTV CEO Scott Stirling. The 45-year-old was pulled over while on his motorcycle for a traffic violation. The police department revealed in a press release, “Shortly after being stopped, Stirling became uncooperative and assaulted the officer. 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.” As a result, Lydia’s brother was pronounced dead after being taken to Hoag Hospital.
Guillermo Tagalogon, who lives near Hoag Hospital, told OnScene.TV, via People, he heard “six or seven gunshots.” On Friday, April 18, the state attorney general announced that it was investigating the shooting, in line with California law. After the California Department of Justice completes its investigation, it will be handed over to the DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for an independent review. The Newport Beach police have 45 days from the date of the shooting to release officer-worn body camera footage of the incident.
Lydia McLaughlin speaks out
The former Real Housewives of Orange County star took to her social media to share her grief. She wrote, “My family has experienced an unimaginable loss. My brother, Geoff, was tragically taken, and our hearts are shattered. This was the song he turned to after we lost our mom. He’d cry every time. I can’t believe we’re facing this pain just 6 months after losing my best friend and mother. I know they’re both with Jesus now, and He’s walking with me through this darkness. One step at a time.” Her brother, Jesse Stirling, also posted a collage of photos.
Below the photos, Jesse wrote, “Dear Brother, We have hundreds of photos together and shared thousands of adventures. I don’t even know how to begin this memorial,” he wrote. “I’ll just say that you left us too soon at age 45. I’ll miss your spirit full of laughter and boundless enthusiasm. Though our time together was heartbreakingly cut short, the memories we created will forever echo in my heart.” The patriarch of the family added, “Geoffrey was a loving son, brother, uncle, and friend. He was a television producer, script writer, actor, and model. He attended church every Sunday and supported multiple charities. We miss him already.”
Geoffrey Shyam Stirling had a criminal background
According to the Los Angeles Times, Stirling was scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing Monday for a felony arson charge in connection with a March 21st fire. It is unclear whether the upcoming court appearance was related to the traffic stop. Geoffrey has more skeletons in his closet, too. In 2012, he was booked in Maricopa County, Arizona, on aggravated assault of an adult on a minor. He is registered on the Megan’s Law website, too. Megan’s Law is a set of federal and state laws that require the registration of sex offenders in order to provide the public with information about those offenders to protect children and the community.
Geoffrey was registered under code 290.005. The California Penal Code Section 290.005 requires registration as a sex offender for individuals convicted of offenses in another state or federal court if those offenses would be considered registerable in California. The key aspect is that the out-of-state conviction must contain all the elements of a California sex offense to trigger the registration requirement.” Geoffrey was also registered under California’s Penal Code 311.4(a) which “criminalizes the employment, coercion, or use of a minor in the production or distribution of child pornography.”
