'RHOC' Alum Lydia McLaughlin's Brother Shot Dead After Assaulting an Officer, Leaving Family 'Devastated'
Lydia McLaughlin's brother was shot dead by police.
April 19 2025, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lydia McLaughlin's brother has reportedly been shot dead by police at 45.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Geoffrey Shyam Stirling was fatally shot by cop on the highway during a routine traffic stop on Thursday, April 17. Stirling was reportedly pulled over by authorities while riding his motorcycle on the Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, California, when he began to be "uncooperative" and assaulted a police officer.
McLaughlin, 44, confirmed her brothers death in a statement and said: "My family and I are devastated by the loss of my brother,” she said. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and the community. We kindly ask for privacy as we mourn."
Geoffrey Shyam Stirling was fatally shot by cop on the highway.
On Friday, the Newport Beach Police Department shared details of the deadly altercation on Instagram.
The post read: "On April 17, 2025, at approximately 9:15 p.m., a Newport Beach Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a motorcycle on West Coast Highway between Superior Avenue and Hoag Hospital. The rider, identified as Geoffrey Shyam Stirling, a 45-year-old resident of Laguna Niguel, was stopped for a traffic violation.
"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."
The police also claimed medical assistance was attempted on the scene before Stirling was eventually taken to hospital.
They wrote: "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."
According to atthorities the California Department of Justice (DOJ) was notified due to California law and will be conducting an independent investigation into the deadly highway traffic stop.
Lydia McLaughlin confirmed her brother's death.
Before officially announcing her brother's passing, McLaughlin took to social media and shared a cryptic post on Friday.
The post was an image with the statement: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
She captioned it: "Because of the pain of Good Friday, we have the JOY of Easter Sunday. 🕊️ #JesusIsLord."
Several celebrities including McLaughlin’s former RHOC costar Vicki Gunvalson shared their condolences in the comments section of her post.
Gunvalson wrote: "Lydia — I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your brother! My heart hurts for you and your family. Peace be with you."
Lydia McLaughlin lost her mother less than a year ago.
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McLaughlin’s family recently dealt with another loss after the reality TV star's mother, Judy Stirling, died from breast cancer on October 8, 2024.
Earlier this month, McLaughlin spoke about dealing with the grief of a death in the family.
She told her 480,000 followers: "I have gone to a beautiful group called Grief Share which has helped me in my healing and processing my grief. It’s a nationwide group if anyone needs support, I recommend them."
The Real Housewives alum spoke to TMZ about her brother's tragic death.
