Unarmed Marine shot dead by sheriff's deputy

(LOS ANGELES TIMES) — A Marine sergeant fatally shot by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy in a dark San Clemente high school parking lot this week was not armed and the incident doesn’t appear to be alcohol- or drug-related, sheriff’s officials said.

A sheriff’s spokesman said the deputy feared for the safety of two young girls sitting in a parked car when he shot Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. Tuesday. The shooting occurred as Loggins started to get into the SUV where his two daughters — ages 9 and 14 — were sitting, authorities said.

Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department, said the deputy was fearful that Loggins — who he said appeared to be acting irrationally — was about the drive off with the girls.

“The real threat that was perceived was the safety of the children,” Amormino said.