Man Killed by Police Called to Private Day-Care Center

A Huntington Beach man was shot to death by police Thursday just outside an apartment where neighbors said his girlfriend runs a small day-care center, authorities said.

Police responded to the home on Libra Circle about 3 p.m. after receiving a call about a domestic disturbance, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Chuck Thomas said.

A man, whose identity was not released immediately, met the officers at the front door, where a confrontation occurred and shots were fired, Thomas said.

Paramedics’ efforts to revive the man were unsuccessful, and he died at the scene, authorities said.

Neighbors said they heard the gunfire.

“I heard the cops say: ‘Stop right there, stop right there,’ and then two shots,” said Mandy Long, 22, who was baby-sitting next door.

Judy Pfeil, another neighbor, said she was walking her dog when the shooting began: “I heard the shots, and I ran like a rabbit back in here.”

Shortly afterward, visibly concerned parents began arriving to pick up their children from the day-care center, operated by a woman whom neighbors identified as the victim’s girlfriend. The said the couple have a young daughter.

As investigators examined the scene, stepping around toys on the lawn, officers reassured parents, many of whom were upset to find the neighborhood crowded with police cars and news media crews.

“They said my baby was fine, nobody was hurt,” said Janis Cook of Rancho Santa Margarita, as she hugged her 14-month-old daughter tightly and kissed her.

Cook said she was unsure of how many other children were inside at the time of the shooting but said the center typically kept four or five children at a time.

Neighbors said the victim had a history of alcoholism and had recently returned home after serving time for drunk driving and doing a stint at a rehabilitation center.

Times staff writer Megan Garvey contributed to this report.