Huntington Beach Man Shot by Police Sunday Remains in Critical Condition

A Huntington Beach man shot by police when he allegedly drew a gun on an officer Sunday night remained in critical condition Monday in Fountain Valley Community Hospital.

Steven Lloyd Dye, 30, was shot once in the lower left part of his chest, said Sgt. Bruce Kelly.

A police officer responding to a call about an open door in an apartment complex on Florida Street south of Memphis Street spotted a man slumped in the driver’s seat of a van. Four other officers eventually arrived. After checking on the apartment, the officer approached the passenger side of the van to shine a flashlight inside, Kelly said.

“A second officer covering on the driver’s side noticed that the suspect came to--if he wasn’t playing possum--and raised his arm with a gun in his hand at the first officer,” Kelly said.

The second officer fired once, hitting the man.

A .22 magnum was taken from the man, but the van was sealed and towed to a police lot until a search warrant could be obtained today to search the vehicle, Kelly said.

Police do not know what Dye, who lives at the other end of the city, was doing. Checks with residents in the area did not reveal anyone who knew him, Kelly said.

He withheld the names of the officers pending the completion of a department investigation.