See Update No. 4 on page 2 with the deceased's rap sheet and a photo of his replica handgun.
See Update Nos. 1-3 on the next page with a police statement providing more details, Register readers contrasting this shooting with the one that sparked riots in Anaheim and the name and age of the dead man.
ORIGINAL POST, MARCH 21, 8:16 P.M.: At least one person is dead following an officer-involved shooting at Warner Avenue and Hoskins Lane in Huntington Beach this afternoon, according to police.
The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m.
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The investigation is ongoing, and this post will be updated when more details become available.
UPDATE NO. 1, MARCH 21, 8:52 P.M.: The following statement was just posted on the Huntington Beach Police Department Facebook page:
On 3-21-13 at 4:29
PM the Huntington Beach Police Department received a call from a
citizen regarding a disturbance in the area of 4911 Warner. The citizen
reported a male and female arguing and that the male had threatened him
with a handgun. The Huntington Beach Police helicopter arrived and
located the male suspect and female walking into the residential tract
towards Hoskins Lane and Milo Drive.A Huntington Beach Police Officer arrived and confronted the male who
produced a handgun. The officer fired his weapon, hitting the male
adult suspect. It was later determined the handgun was a replica
semi-automatic pistol. Other officers arrived and detained the female.
The Huntington Beach Fire Paramedics arrived, and the adult male suspect
was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was uninjured. The
Huntington Beach Police Department is not releasing the names of the
suspect or involved officer at this time.As per our protocol, the Orange County Sheriff's Department has been
called to investigate the shooting. Their investigators are conducting
an investigation into the incident, and all further press inquiries and
information will be handled by their department.
UPDATE NO. 2, MARCH 22, 8:54 A.M.: There are really no new details from law enforcement on yesterday afternoon's police shooting in Huntington Beach, so leave it to The Orange County Register's comments section to fill in some gaps. Some readers who say they live near the shooting scene described the couple as Middle Eastern and debated whether the referenced restaurant was Bon Gusto or House of Brews.
But what really raises eyebrows are these comments contrasting this police shooting with the one in Anaheim that sparked riots last summer:
Paul West, California State University, Fullerton: If this [had] been a gangbanger, the next story would be about the thugs protesting the HB police.
Joe Evans, Costa Mesa, California: Carrying a replica gun is just suicide by cop! Unless the person is that dumb to walk around acting as if the gun was real. . . . No matter, good job by the cop! If dumbasses didn't make moves when cops yell stop, they [wouldn't] be shot. . . . That's some advice for you cry-baby Anaheim gang supporters!
Meanwhile, “Juana Doe” takes issue with the Register's headline informing police shot and killed a man with a replica gun, as opposed to turning it around to suggest the replica gunman threatened people and was killed for public safety. Ms. Doe blames this on the reporter–before going on to drop some Weekly love:
Juana Doe: Good job on the headline, Sean Emery. Your sensationalism headline is receiving plenty of “hits” on your article. Your headline is obviously favoring to the anti-law-enforcement crowd. I hope you go home proud knowing that you earned a little extra cash at painting our LE in such a negative light. Not to mention setting up the city of HB as another hot zone to a possible riot against the police. Why don't you take a citizens academy course to learn and to appreciate everything our police departments have to confront on a daily basis. If you don't already work for the OC Weekly, you should work [for] them, oh wait you probably wouldn't, smaller paycheck. You're a journalist and you are supposed to have an UNBIASED opinion. Please try to remember that when you're writing your next article.
Damn straight about the paychecks, Juana. But it's this comment that strikes closer to home around here:
Kaz Uno, Huntington Beach, California: I saw the body. Well, his foot. There is a black shade in front of the body to block the carnage from view. There is a carnival-like atmosphere as gawkers mull around watching the investigation, as the El Chavo ice cream truck services them. I had a Choco Taco.
UPDATE NO. 3, MARCH 22, 1:08 P.M.: The dead man has been identified by authorities as Ian Christopher Berrier, 20.
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UPDATE NO. 4, MARCH 25, 8:59 A.M.: The Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD), which is investigating the fatal shooting of Ian Christopher Berrier by an unnamed Huntington Beach police officer, released the following photo of the replica gun the 20-year-old was said to be holding:
Meanwhile, the Huntington Beach Independent reports that Berrier had six counts pending against him in criminal court: robbery, possessing alcohol as a minor, and two each of being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug
paraphernalia. He had an April 9 pretrial hearing scheduled in that case.
The Jesse Pinkman lookalike had a previous charge of being under the influence
of a controlled substance dismissed in 2011, according to the Indy.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.